Collaboration Meets Ingenuity at Heartland Ciderworks
This episode is packed with insights for anyone interested in the intersection of entrepreneurship and craft cider-making. In Episode 427 of Cider Chat, Eliseo Bell-Uribe shares his story as a young entrepreneur and how and why he founded Heartland Ciderworks.
Practical Advice for Cider Startups: Learning to Collaborate
Starting a cidery from scratch is no easy task. The Eliseo shares practical advice on how to navigate the hurdles of zoning issues, sourcing equipment, and finding the right partnerships. By collaborating with a local winery, Heartland was able to sidestep some of the common challenges faced by new cideries, such as acquiring expensive equipment and navigating complex regulations.
For budding cider makers, this episode offers a blueprint for how to creatively solve problems and make the most of available resources. Whether it's building your own bottling setup or finding a winery willing to do custom crush, the key takeaway is to stay flexible and open to collaboration.
A Closer Look at Heartland's Ciders
Heartland Ciderworks may be a young company, but their lineup of ciders is anything but ordinary. Here's a quick look at the ciders discussed in the episode:
Avalon
Description: Heartland's flagship cider that combines Foxwhelp, Golden Russet, Yarlington Mill, and Dabinett apples.
ABV: 7.7%
Notes: Features a beautiful orange hue with a balance of tannins and acidity.
Little Apple
Description: A low-alcohol cider kin made with rehydrated pomace and back-sweetened with Golden Russet and Foxwhelp.
ABV: 3.65%
Notes: Easy-drinking with a light and refreshing profile.
Cooper
Description: A bourbon barrel-aged cider made primarily from Sweet Alford apples.
ABV: 6.4%
Notes: Rich with subtle bourbon notes, this cider is a limited-edition favorite, but more Cooper is in the cue!
Heart of the Valley
Description: A community-foraged cider made with apples gathered from the Salem area, benefiting the local Boys and Girls Club.
ABV: 5.75%
Notes: A modern cider with a sweeter profile and a beautiful can design.
Olive Branch
Description: A Newtown Pippin cider aged on olive leaves, offering a unique bitterness similar to hops.
Notes: A one-of-a-kind cider with complex aromas and a distinctive flavor profile.
Rosé Cider (Upcoming Release)
Description: A co-ferment of red-fleshed apples with Pinot Noir grape skins, lightly oaked for added tannin.
Enjoying the stories brought to you by Cider Chat? Help keep these stories rolling out by supporting the podcast by becoming a patron. Your support helps keep the podcast on the air, allowing us to continue bringing you inspiring stories like this one.
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.
The 10th Annual American Cider Association trade conference CiderCon will be held in Oakland California, January 28th through to January 31, 2020. This episode provides an overview on the following topics: Oakland weathe…
The tables are set with 6 stemmed glasses per person, each holding a tasting of Calvados or American Apple Brandy. There are over 60 settings. It is a sold out night. At 6:30 pm, the house lights are lowered and it is re…
Redfield Cider Bar and Bottle Shop is located in the Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland California. Owners Olivia Maki and Mike Reis opened the doors to patrons in January of 2019. Olivia Maki and Mike Reis of Redfield Ci…
Crooked City Cider Tap House is located in the Jack London Square area of Oakland California. A mere stone's throw away in the Square you can take the fast speed ferry to San Francisco and other nearby ferry hops, making…
Duckchicken makers Colleen O'Sullivan and James Mann are based in South London. Colleen is a certified Arborist and works as a Tree Officer in London and James works in "Knowledge" at a law office in London. Duckchickens…
Every Tuesday, when Steve was growing up, his Dad would be out that evening drinking cider with friends at the Cider Cellar, at the farm outside of Buffalo. That memory is his first on cider. Years later this professiona…
Good Life Farm was started in 2008. On this same spot of land overlooking Cayuga Lake after the barn was built, the Finger Lakes Cider House opened 6 years later in 2014. Both the farm and the Tasting Room and Cidery wer…
"Everything about cider started for me in this old orchard, up the road." Says Eric. That abandoned orchard which first inspired Eric isn't there anymore, but he recalls the wild seedling trees that were growing in the h…
Where does a Cornell University Pomologist do upon retirement? They start a cidery, of course! Ian Merwin says, founding Black Diamond Cider, in Trumansburg, New York is his 4th career. He has lived in California, Chile,…
#ciderGoingUP is a favored hashtag that I have been using since the first year of this podcast, so it was a natural title for this milestone episode number 200. Some podcasters pod fade (end their shows quietly and never…
