262: Virtual Cidery | Building a Cidery Part 8

262: Virtual Cidery | Building a Cidery Part 8

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist March 3, 2021 Duration: 40:57

ep 262 Virtual Cidery w/Ryan Monkman

What is a Virtual Cidery?

 

A virtual cider is a cidery managed out of someone's else's cidery, or winery and in some cases a brewery. This week's featured guest is Ryan Monkman of FieldBird Cider in Prince Edward County Ontario. I met Ryan in 2018 and visited his Virtual Cidery host Keint-He Winery. The location was ideal being close to where Ryan lives making it very easy for him to manage the barrels of cider stored in the amazing underground barrel room.

Ask Ryan pt 4 feature photo episode 224 Cider Chat Ryan Monkman

The arrangement or agreement is key to the success of this cidery model. Ryan discusses the following options to consider.

  1. The virtual maker (VM) does sales, while the host does packaging.
  2. The VM does everything.

Virtual Makers must decide: How involved do you want to be?

Benefits of the Virtual Cidery Model

  • Low risk
    • - you get to test your brand and product without having to set up a full brick and mortar site
  • Low financial up front costs
  • The VM and host have the potential to do collaborations.

Selecting the right Virtual Host

For Ryan, he found three key areas to consider

  1. People : Can you get along with the people who work there and the owner?
  2. Equipment: is the host site equipment going to meet the VM needs?
  3. Maintenance: If equipment breaks, can you wait till the host fixes it?
  4. Plan for unexpected costs - If the barrel steamer is broke, it is in everyone's best interest to get it fixed instead of waiting for the host who might be strapped for cash.

Contact for FieldBird Cider and Ryan Monkman

Website: https://fieldbird.ca/

Address:

1385 Highway 62
Prince Edward County, ON

Mentions in this chat

The Building a Cidery Series Part 1-7

Help Support Cider Chat Please donate today. Help keep the chat thriving!

Find this episode and all episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts.


There’s a whole world in a glass of cider, and Cider Chat is your invitation to explore it. Hosted by award-winning cidermaker and writer Ria Windcaller, this podcast travels far beyond the bottle to meet the people who make the global cider culture so vibrant. Each conversation is a journey-you might find yourself in a heritage orchard learning the history of forgotten apple varieties, in a bustling taproom with an importer explaining regional traditions, or in a kitchen with a chef pairing cider with unexpected foods. The discussions get into the delightful nuances, too, whether that’s the semantics of what we even call this drink or how the concept of terroir translates from soil to sip. It’s not just about production; it’s about the community, the travel, and the stories that fermentation unlocks. This is for anyone curious about the craft, history, and sheer enjoyment of fermented apple juice in all its forms. So, pour a glass and settle in for a series that feels like a wide-ranging, informative, and genuinely good-humored chat with friends who happen to be obsessed with cider. You’ll come away with a deeper appreciation for every effervescent, tart, or sweet sip, hearing directly from the growers, makers, and enthusiasts who are shaping this drink’s exciting present and future.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 501

Cider Chat
Podcast Episodes
408: Cider's Pomological Life Coach | Know Your Roots, NY [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:57
Mike Biltonen and his wife Debbie founded Know Your Roots in 2008 and began offering a wide array of service for backyard and commercial orchardists in 2014. Mike This conversation tool place at the Berkshire Roundtable…
407: Cider Log Tutorial w/Frosty Twig [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:56
Find this episode and all episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts. A Cider Log Documents Ferments from Start to Finish Find a free downloadable Cider Log for your next ferment below! Dan Gallagher of Frosty Twig C…
406: Japan Is An Apple Country | Lee Reeve [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:10
Japan is not only Cherry Blossom, but also Apple Country! Lee Reeve of InCiderJapan kicks off this episode stating "Japan is Apple Country." And he is right… because Lee has been on the podcast 3x's and has taught listen…
405: Fruit, Flowers, & Feeling | Revel Cider, Ontario [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:08
Tariq Ahmed on the Founding and Fermentation Styles at Revel Revel Cider was founded in 2014 and is located in Ontario a little over one hour west of Niagara Falls. Hear Tariq tell how he both got into fermentation, how…
404: Uk's Ross Cider & Perry is Lit! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:23
Featuring Albert Johnson of Ross Cider and Perry Company Ross Cider and Perry is a family owned business located in the West Country of the United Kingdom in the region of Heredfordshire. The Johnson family have been far…
403: Botanist and Barrel Eclectic Ferments | NC [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:33
Meet one half of the family team at Botanist and Barrel Botanist and Barrel is a family owned and operated cidery. Kether Smith and brother Lyndon and their respective spouses Derick McGuffey and Amie Fields make the mag…
402: Michigan's Simply, Spectacular PIF Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:59
Meet the Founders of Presque Isle Farm Cider a.k.a PIF Molly and Dion Stepanski are the founders of of PIF Cider with an inviting Tasting Room located in Alpena, Michigan. They met in New Orleans where Dion was working a…
401: Celebrity Chef Brian Duffy Cider Pairing Tips [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:13
Chef Duffy Talks Cooking with Cider Chef Brian Duffy is one of the culinary's industry's most dynamic and innovative personalities. Chef Brian Duffy With a career that spans decades, He has been captivating audiences wit…
400: To Ciderville With Love [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:05
A Special Valentine to Ciderville with Love This episode is a special valentine to Ciderville with a little bit of help from the Talking Pommes and an eventful appearance by The Nose! We are in the Cider House reviewing…
399: Sweden Embraces Non Alcoholic Ciders at Pomologik [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:35
The Low ABV Cider Revolution in Sweden In Strängnäs Sweden, circa 2017, Johan Sjöstedt, Oskar Palm, and Patrik Svensk began selling ciders commercially under their brand Pomologik. They didn't set out to make low alcohol…