Orchard Families Bring on the Cider

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Since we have been researching and digging up past stories during our 60th year, it’s easy to notice how farm businesses and products have been evolving.

Some long established orchard families are diversifying their farms by creating new businesses on their farmland. They include new food products using unique ingredients in the traditional jams, jellies and dressings to sell at their farm gate and markets; building complete structures to house a new cidery operation, tasting room, or restaurant; and even hosting live music and events. In addition to the events, some cool names and trendy labels are designed to catch your attention even more.

In this issue we bring you an innovative article about a longtime orchard family now making cider that is also vegan, organic and gluten-free. Upside Cider opened earlier this year near the Kelowna Airport and has been busy since day one. The interesting part is how they also kept the fruit market right next door in the same building as the cidery. If that isn’t enough to keep everyone busy, partner Jaye Siegmueller already operates Farm Bound, a successful organic produce delivery service, as well as the newly opened Farm Bound Zero Waste, the Okanagan’s first specialty zero waste grocery store. Wow, where do these people get their energy?

Another fifth generation organic orchard family from Naramata opened Creek and Gully Cider. This new cidery business opened this year by daughter Annelise Simonsen and daughter-in-law Kaleigh Jorgensen. The Scandinavian style building, as seen on our cover, is beautiful in it’s simplicity as is the natural style of their fermenting process.

Days Century Growers, a highly regarded farm from the early 1900s, has a special Canadian niche for pears, so much so,that they have committed to a new sorting line to increase efficiency and sorting precision in their business.

It is so exciting to see how there is so much diversity, creativity and uniqueness in this industry. We love covering these stories and are glad to bring them to you. There are so many delicious products out there, I want to try them all, hope you do too.

Enjoy the magazine!