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
218: FieldBird Cider | Canada: Covid Time Update [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:57
Ryan Monkman of FieldBird Cider based in Prince Edward County provides an overview of Canada's response to the Covid-19 crisis gripping the world in this episode. Ryan's chat begins at approximately 11:49 minutes into th…
217: Omnia Era of Cider | Pommes in Art [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:54
Let's search for the fruit of the story from the Renaissance era to the often-bizarre works of the Mannerist painter of that time. We are exploring how history is repeating itself in our cups of cider in this edition of…
216: Alex Ionov | Rebel Apple, Moscow [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:30
In 2015, there was a windfall of apples in Russian. That moment helped to catapult "The Land of Antonovka" into the cider spotlight world wide. Episode 216 Featured guest is Alexander Ionov of Rebel Apple Cider of Moscow…
CCLive: Helping Cider in Covid Time w/ACA [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:17
Hear what the ACA and the USA's regional associations are doing to help members while their businesses are shuttered during quarantine. Cider Chat Live: Helping Cider in Covid Time w/ACA Recorded March 19, 2020 with Amer…
215: Andy Hallett of Hallet Cider | UK [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:49
Join the Talking Pommes and I, as we "Flip the bird" to the Coronavirus! Yes, "feck off" to the virus by signing up now for the upcoming England Cider Tour September 1-6, 2020. 215: Andy Hallett of Hallet Cider | UK Andy…
214: Cider is 'Art + Science' w/Kim & Dan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:42
Cider as Art + Science w/Kim & Dan Kim says, "We consider ourselves a natural cider, Perry and wine company. Our products start with the farming; sourcing quality fruit that is ecologically farmed is important to us. We…
213: The Sleeping Giant has Awoken [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:11
Who is the Sleeping Giant? France, of course! The cider regions in Normandy and Brittany are steeped in tradition and rich with select apples and pears that showcase a very specific terroir from each of the appellations.…
212: Northeastern Cider Conference~Scoop! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:44
The Northeastern Cider Conference will take place March 24, 25, 26, 2020 in Albany, NY. Register now - Get group discount for Hotel now through February Tuesday March 24th begins with a kick off with a opening toast and…
211: Tales from CiderCon2020 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:21
Enjoy these Snapshots of Tales from CiderCon2020 which details a bit of what I experienced both before the conference, while on the Parajo Valley Cider Tour and then my recap on CiderCon held in Oakland. Thank you to San…
210: Cider Ireland w/Stonewell Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:16
Daniel Emerson discusses his Irish cider brand Stonewell Cider and Cider Ireland, a trade association for Irish cider makers. The American Cider Association annual trade conference CiderCon2020 had the following Irish Ma…