418: Creative Cider Branding Tips with Cultivar

418: Creative Cider Branding Tips with Cultivar

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist June 26, 2024 Duration: 1:01:25

Paving a Path for Cider Branding at Cultivar

Meet Kirk Evans, the founder of Cultivar Creative. In this episode, Kirk shares his journey from a casual cider maker to a professional brand designer specializing in cider packaging and identity.

Cider Chat Episode 418 Kirk Evans 300x300 (1) Cultivator
Kirk Evans

Cultivar Creative focuses on creating comprehensive brand identities that go beyond just a logo. Kirk emphasizes the importance of a cohesive brand voice, graphical elements, and a well-thought-out brand guideline to ensure consistency across all marketing materials. His approach ensures that even small cider brands can present themselves professionally and attractively to consumers.

The Journey to Cider Branding at Cultivar

Kirk's journey into the cider world began in early 2020 when he decided to try making cider at home. What started as a hobby quickly turned into an obsession, leading him to a career shift. With his extensive experience in design and marketing, Kirk saw a gap in the cider industry for specialized branding services. Thus, Cultivar Creative was born.

The Importance of Brand Identity

According to Kirk, brand identity in the cider industry involves more than just a logo. It encompasses everything from the brand's voice to the graphical elements used in packaging. A strong brand identity helps cider makers communicate their story effectively and stand out on crowded shelves.

Kirk's process includes creating detailed brand guidelines that outline all aspects of the brand's visual and verbal identity. This comprehensive approach ensures that every piece of marketing material aligns with the brand's core message and appeals to its target audience.

Branding Tips for Cider Makers

  • Know Your Brand: Understand who you are as a brand and what you want to convey to your customers.
  • Be Bold: Don't be afraid to be bold and disruptive with your branding. Standing out is crucial in a competitive market.
  • Consistency is Key: Ensure your branding is consistent across all platforms, from social media to packaging.
  • Invest in Packaging: Eye-catching packaging can make a significant difference in attracting new customers.

Contact Info for Cultivar

Mentions in this Cider Chat


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
478: Pommeau: What Happens When a French Classic Lands on U.S. Labels [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:18
What is Pommeau? Pommeau is a: fortified blend of fresh apple must (unfermented) and apple brandy (typically Calvados in Normandy or Lambig in Brittany). The unfermented apple juice and brandy are combined before ferment…
477: 2025 Ultimate Cider Pairing Guide for Thanksgiving [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:38
Learn how to pick the right Cider and Perry for every dish on the Thanksgiving table. This week we are not chasing brand names. We are building flavor intuition. Consider Thanksgiving not as one single taste on a plate;…
476: Be Medieval, Rack that Cider| Secondary Fermentation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:18
How to clarify, stabilize, and finish cider the right way The Purpose of Secondary Fermentation when Making Cider Once the apple juice has started fermented and it is now slowing down, it is time to rack over your cider…
473: Tiny Bubbles | How to Make a Pét Nat Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:53
What makes a Pét Nat cider sparkle naturally and how is it connected to the rural method you might have heard about in the UK? In this episode, we take a practical look at: What Pét Nat cider is and how it relates to the…
471: Cider Tourism 101 | Newton Court, UK [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:50
Newton Court Cider began as a 30-acre farm selling apples to Bulmers. When the market changed, Paul Stephens turned those same orchards into a modern day cider business. Front view of Newton Court's restaurant and visito…
470: Hedgers, Crossman's, and Coates: UK Cider's Entwined Histories [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:55
In October 2024, Cider Chat MC Ria Windcaller recorded with Tom Vowles of Hedger Cider and Ben Crossman in Somerset. Initially, the two recordings felt like separate brand stories. Then, nearly a year later to the day as…
469: Getting Lost, So You Don't | UK Totally Cider Tour 2025 Recap [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:58
UK Cider Tour 2025 Audio Snap Shots Wallace and Ria in Bristol In this Episode 469 of Cider Chat, we brings listeners inside the UK Totally Cider Tour 2025 through the voices of the guests who joined. From Somerset, Glou…