The apple people, you know Eckert’s? They’re now in the hard cider biz

The apple people, you know Eckert’s? They’re now in the hard cider biz.

I remember when my kids were little, we’d head out to Eckert’s Farm to pick apples. I remember thinking, “apple picking would be a lot better if I had a beer, or at least a strong cider.”  Well, they didn’t have them back then, but the dads of the new crop of little kids have it much luckier.

Today, Eckert’s announced the release of a new line of hard cider, available for purchase at Eckert’s Country Store.

Eckert’s in the hard apple cider biz with CiderWorks

The four-flavor line of spiked ciders was developed to highlight fruits that are grown at the farm: strawberry, blackberry, peach, and apple. Eckert’s line of hard cider includes: Well Red (strawberry apple), Berried Alive (blackberry apple), Peach and Quiet (peach apple), and Roadcider (apple). Eckert’s will also open their own cidery, called Eckert’s CiderWorks, on-site at the Belleville farm in the next year. Guests will be able to enjoy the line of hard cider on tap, in flights and more during operating hours at the farm.

Eckert’s cider is available in 4-packs of 16-ounce cans in each flavor for $10.99 at Eckert’s Country Store.

The Backstory

Eckert’s, known for its non-alcoholic cider, installed a cider press at the Belleville farm in 2020. The move allowed the farm to make and serve its in-house cider throughout the year alongside offering it for retail in Eckert’s Country Store and across local groceries and markets. The popularity of the farm’s apple cider, and the growing public demand for hard ciders paved the way for the family to enter into the new hard cider venture. Eckert’s partnered with Brick River Cider Co., the city’s first dedicated ciderworks, to turn their farm-fresh fruit into a farm-to-can hard cider line.

“For years, guests have asked us to create a line of hard ciders and the demand only increased after we added the cider press,” says Vice President of Retail Operations, Angie Eckert. “With the growing popularity of canned alcoholic beverages and restrictions and pivots on our pick-your-own fruit season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we decided that 2020 was a good time to dedicate efforts to bringing this idea to life. The goal was to combine the most loved aspects of our farm — our pick-your-own fruits and apple cider — to our guests in a delicious adult beverage. The line of hard cider also brings new opportunities for us here at the farm and we look forward to sharing those with our guests over the next few months.”

Welcome To Eckerts’ CiderWorks and the apple cider biz

Eckert’s is also renovating a dedicated space on the farm for an added hard cider experience for visitors. Eckert’s CiderWorks will serve as an on-site cidery — allowing visitors purchase cans or enjoy the four-flavor line on tap. The farm hopes to fulfill this vision in 2022. Meanwhile, you can pick up a taste of the hard ciders at Eckert’s Country store.

Eckert’s CiderWorks is hosting a free summer concert series. The Wax Museums (Friday, May 28 at 7 p.m.) and Joanna Serenko (Saturday, May 29 at 7 p.m.). The notable band, Old Salt Union, will close out the concert series with a performance scheduled on Saturday, July 3.

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The apple people, you know Eckert’s? They’re now in the hard cider biz.