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
457: Snow Capped Cider: A Family Legacy at 7,000 Feet | CO [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:08
At the base of Colorado's Grand Mesa, the world's largest flat-top mountain, five generations of fruit growers have worked the land. Today, Snow Capped Cider carries on that legacy, crafting estate-grown ciders from frui…
456: From Oregon to Norway: Abram Goldman-Armstrong's Cider Journey [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:19
This episode of Cider Chat, was recorded in person with Abram Goldman-Armstrong at CiderCon2025 in Chicago. Hear his journey to cider. From growing up in Oregon's Yamhill County to his current work in Norway's Hardanger…
455: Zero Percent Sh*t  | John Edwards Returns [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:50
John Edwards, longtime cider maker and integral team member at Ross on Wye Cider & Perry Co., and the creative force behind his personal label Fly be Night Cider was last on the podcast in 2019. John Edwards In this Cide…
454: Wild Ferment Meets Fine Cider: Inside Oliver's Barrel Room [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:43
Rainy Days Goes Best with Dry Cider in the Barrel Room Walking into the barrel room at Oliver's Cider and Perry Company, you might think you know what to expect. But surrounded by whitewashed stone walls, standing beneat…
453: Homage to Perry Legends by Tom Oliver at AppleFest | UK [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:38
Celebrating Perry's Past, Present, and Future Tom Oliver began his keynote by saying, "At this year's Applefest Banquet, I had the honor of lifting a glass to the people behind the pear—specifically Perry. It wasn't just…
452: Mac to Redfield: Four Phantoms Brewery Embraces Cider | MA [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:18
Drew Phillips opened the doors of Four Phantoms in Greenfield, Massachusetts in 2021. He began his fermentation career in the Pacific Northwest, and while waiting to open his own brewery, he took on the role as cider mak…
451: Hello Season 10 and The Berkshire Roundtable [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:32
In this Season 10 premier of Cider Chat, "Introductions" are featured from over 40 persons in attendance at the annual 2025 Berkshire Roundtable. Kicking off Season 10 of Cider Chat The opportunity to begin Season 10 wit…
450th Roger Wilkins - The Cider King [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:01
Looking back at Season 9 and Forward with Roger Wilkins In this season ending episode we visit Roger Wilkins at his Lands End Farm. Cider King – Roger Wilkins Roger Wilkins, is known globally as the "Cider King," and is…
449: Exploring Hereford's Museum of Cider with Elizabeth Pimblett [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:05
The Role of the Museum of Cider Elizabeth Pimblett's background and her journey to the museum The history of the museum, founded in 1887 by the Bulmer brothers The significance of the building and its historic cider cell…
448: Cider Institute: New Name, New Reach, and More Cider Education [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:31
The Cider Institute: Training the Next Generation of Cider Makers The Cider Institute, formerly known as the Cider Institute of North America (CINA), is the premier resource for cider education. Founded in 2016 at CiderC…