Hardball Cider is the fifth-generation family farm venture of the Deen family, rooted in Mount Bethel’s Elvern Farms and led by founder and CEO Geoffrey Todd Deen. Deen turned his family’s longtime apple-pressing tradition into a cidery after making his first batch in 2013, with baseball providing the inspiration for the Hardball name. Its taproom, opened on the farm in 2019, extends that agricultural heritage into a gathering place for tastings and community events.
Seek-No-Further Cider CoIn a historic white barn in downtown Granville, Seek-No-Further Cider Co. makes New England-style hard cider from heirloom apples sourced from small orchards in Ohio and across the Northeast. Founded in June 2021 by Trent Beers and cidermaker Garrett Huber, the cidery pairs Huber’s expertise in heirloom varieties with Beers’s background in branding and design. Its name honors the rare Seek-No-Further apple, which originated near Granville, Massachusetts, while the cidery serves as a gathering place for the local community.GRANVILLE, OH
Bouchette VineyardsBouchette Vineyards began as a family hobby and now brings that same spirit of togetherness to its wines and Addiction Cider in Bethel, Pennsylvania. Family members work side by side, while label images of shared travels and drawings by the owners’ daughters give the bottles a distinctly personal touch. Its hard ciders are made with apples from local orchards and draw their names and character from the outdoors the family loves.HAMBURG, PA
Beak & Skiff Apple OrchardsFounded in 1911 by an onion farmer and a dairy farmer, family-owned Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards grows apples in Lafayette, New York and turns its harvest into fresh cider and other orchard-made beverages. Now in its fifth generation, the operation spans more than 350,000 apple trees and carries the crop from tree to cider mill, tasting room, or distillery on the farm. Its Apple Hill campus also brings the public into the orchard through pick-your-own apples, the Apple Barn, and seasonal family attractions.LA FAYETTE, NY
Nine Pin Cider WorksFounded in 2012 by Alejandro del Peral, Nine Pin Cider Works makes hard cider in Albany from 100% fresh-pressed New York apples, never concentrate. New York’s first farm cidery, it grew from a 5,000-square-foot start into a 24,000-square-foot operation while building relationships with farms and orchards across the state. Its Albany tasting room also serves as a testing ground for new ideas, including the biennial 26er challenge of 26 small-batch ciders.ALBANY, NY