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
059: Cider Books for Holiday Gift Giving w/ Hugh McKellar [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:38
Cider Books for Holiday Gift Giving w/ Real Cider Reviews Hugh McKellar of Real Cider Reviews chimes in on cider book recommendations for this holiday season. Hugh calls this chat "The Christmas Book List Podcast" while…
058: Eric Bordelet | Ancient Pears, Chay Tour Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:13
Please Help Support Cider Chat Please donate today. Help keep the chat thriving! We begin this chat with Eric Bordelet in the Pear Orchard…He lead us into a large green field with low grass. We look out in the distance a…
057: Eric Bordelet | Normandy, France Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:03
Find this episode and all episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts. Eric Bordelet is both the maker and the brand at Chateau de Hauteville in the southern edge of Normandy in the village of Châtaigne. The fact that…
056: Chuck Shelton | Albemarle Ciderworks, Virginia [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:36
Please Help Support Cider Chat donate today. Help keep the chat thriving! Chuck Shelton of Albemarle Ciderworks & Vintage Virginia Apples weighs in on blending and single apple variety ciders and the complexity of ciderm…
055: Apple Songs to Sing-a-long [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:01
Apple songs and sing-a-longs helps put a rhythm to the work day and marks Wassail celebrations around the world. This week's chat we begin with a fun Apple Song led by David Gott, who has worked as a pruner and maker of…
054: Mike Schilling | Wild Cider & Yeasts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:55
Mike Schilling delves into the joy of letting a cider go wild, stopping fermentation, double pitching yeast and funky/sour cider. This chat was recorded before a live audience at Beerology in Northampton Massachusetts on…
052: Cider Chat's 1-Year Anniversary Episode [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:31
Celebrate with The Nose and I, as we chat on our fall trip to see cidermakers in the Netherlands and France and reflect over an amazing year of 52 podcasts promoting cider and perry around the world. I've posted "semi" e…
051: Marie Tanaka & Tsukasa Ono | Japan's Cider Scene [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:13
Follow this podcast on Twitter @ciderchat Marie Tanaka is the owner of WineStyles Co., Ltd who along with Tsukasa Ono organized the largest cider fest in Japan to date called the Tokyo Cider Collection. The event was hel…
050: Didier Bédu | Président de l'I.D.A.C., France [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:03
Follow on twitter @ciderchat Didier Bédu President of the Interprofession des Appellations Cidricoles (I.D.A.C.) for France speaks on the organization's criteria for the highly sought after appellation for Calvados and P…