461 RAW Levi Danielson

461 RAW Levi Danielson

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist May 28, 2025 Duration: 54:24

Levi Danielson is the founder and cider maker at RAW Cider, based in Dayton, Oregon. With roots in the Driftless Region of Minnesota and a cidery nestled among cider apples and pears in the Willamette Valley, Levi's story is one of wild ferments, place-based cider, and planting for the future – both in Oregon and back home.

461 Levi Danielson of RAW Cider Pouring a glass
Levi Danielson

Building RAW Cider

Levi's path began in microbiology and health policy before a leap to France introduced him to wild fermentation and orchard life. After interning and later leading production at Dragon's Head Cider in Washington, Levi launched RAW Cider in 2020 with méthode champenoise ciders that quietly matured during the pandemic.

Since then, RAW Cider has:

  • Opened a year-round tasting room on an orchard in Dayton, Oregon
  • Earned gold and silver medals for its first releases
  • Focused on native yeast fermentation, minimal intervention, and orchard-first practices
  • Planted and top-grafted cider and perry fruit in both Oregon and Minnesota

Pear Ambitions and a Regional Vision

Levi's passion for perry is central to RAW Cider. With 60-year-old pear trees, now top worked with perry pear varieties and wild seedlings grafted in the Mississippi River Valley, plus collaborations in Hood River, he's betting on American perry's future.

He believes Hood River could become the "Domfrontais of the U.S."—a new home for pear-driven sparkling ciders that mirrors the pear region in Normandy, France.

Listen to episode 313: Wild Yeast Fermentations | CiderCon 2022 featuring a panel discussion with Levi Danielson

Contact info for RAW

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
287: Elizabeth Ryan | Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider, NY [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:33
"Every hand that touches the apple has a story to tell." Who is Elizabeth Ryan? She is the founder of Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider, but that is only part of the story. At heart she is a farmer having grown up in Iowa on…
286: A Living Language for Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:09
The quest to find the Language of Cider Richie Brady is a graduate of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) who also happens to have a love of cider. This scholarly Irishman used his shelter in place time during Covid…
285: Cider Chat | Cider's Media Part 4 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:38
Who is Cider Chat? In Part 4 of this series on Cider's Media it is time to talk about Cider Chat - the podcast that is hosting this series! As you listen to this episode you will hear Ria discussing and reading from her…
284: Cider Scene | Cider's Media Pt3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:54
Who is Cider Scene? Identical twins Trevor and Nolan O'Malley launched Cider Scene in 2016. They describe it as not quite a publication, but more of a "focused blog", marketing company, and a little bit of a publication.…
283: Cidercraft Magazine | Who is Cider's Media Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:41
Who is Cidercraft Magazine Cidercraft Magazine was launched in 2014 and provides a wide array of articles on the topic of cider. Kristin Ackerman Bacon the Founder of Cidercraft is not a newbie to the publishing world ha…
282: Cider Culture | Who is Cider's Media Pt 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:33
Who is Cider Culture Mary Bigham Owner and Publisher of Dishworks LLC, founded Cider Culture in 2014 which is an online publication that has weekly cider news post for newbie cider fans to commercial makers. Mary is a Pe…
281: Cider Fueled Road Trip to NY and PA [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:23
Cider Fueled Road Trip Day 1 This episode begins on a road trip to New York state, specifically the west side of the Hudson River to Stone Ridge Orchards one of the three farms that is under the umbrella of Hudson Valley…
280: The Cidermaker's Fuzzy Slippers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:50
Grab the slippers, the house is on fire! In February of 2021, Nicole and Felix Todd had a chimney fire at the their home and the damage done made it unlivable. Having a fire even in the best of times is an ordeal, but du…
279: Apology to the Billionaire Cidermaker [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:57
An Apology? By a Cider Judge Busted! I am the cider judge who has been holding onto a memory from nearly 20 years ago. At that time there were very few commercial makers of cider and in turn there were very few entries i…
278: Still Fishing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:31
Gone Fishing Ok, so maybe I'm not full on fishing this week, but if I get a chance you know where I will be - out on the water with my fishing pole...actually the heat is so high this week that maybe I will just take a f…