Setting down roots in our own backyard
May 10, 2013
Vermont has been our home since the beginning. Twenty-two years ago Master Cider Maker, Greg Failing, produced the very first batch of Amber Cider that has put Woodchuck® Hard Cider on the map nationwide, all from a two-car garage in the tiny town of Proctorsville, Vermont. Our dedication and deep appreciation for our home state are the pillars of our business, and today we are beaming with pride to tell you that we have officially broken ground on our brand new cidery here in Middlebury, Vermont. As a reader of The Core, you all get first glimpse at how the new cidery will look!
Shovels are in the ground and construction is underway on our new 100,000 square foot Woodchuck® cidery just off scenic Route 7 in Middlebury. The $30 million project is being built less than a mile from the current cidery and will bring 15 to 20 new jobs to the area. Fans of Woodchuck® will be happy to hear that upon completion, we will have a full tour center, tasting room and gift shop. Thousands of you have stopped by over the last twenty-two years to see how the cider is made, and we’re ecstatic that we will be able to not only show you around, but also let you taste the handcrafted ciders you have enjoyed for years as well as try some of our innovative batches we are testing out!
The new Woodchuck® Cidery will include a full tour center, tasting room, and gift shop!
The town of Middlebury, Vermont has been a wonderful home to us over the years and we couldn’t be happier to set down roots here and hopefully show our fans how much the area has to offer. “This is a new chapter for Woodchuck®,” said Woodchuck® President and CEO Bret Williams at the ground breaking earlier today. “Hard cider in the United States is growing in popularity and this new cidery represents a brick and mortar commitment to continue to grow the cider category from Vermont. It’s an exciting step forward at this crucial time in our history.”
Wooodchuck® Hard Cider President and CEO, Bret Williams, addresses the community and toasts employees at the new cidery groundbreaking ceremony, May 10th, 2013.
One thing many people may not realize is how long the plan for a new Woodchuck® Cidery has been in motion. As the hard cider category has grown over the past few years, we have quickly run out of space for cider, and even for our employees at our current cidery. In fact, our entire marketing team spent the last two years working in trailers in the backyard of the cidery to make room for more cider storage and other employees. Recently, we moved our marketing, accounting, IT and customer service teams to a satellite office down the street for the same reason. While all this was happening we were aggressively looking at locations to expand our workspace and after four years of hard work, today we are seeing the fruits of our labor.
We’d like to thank all of our loyal fans, whom we affectionately call the “Woodchuck® Community,” and the town of Middlebury, Vermont for making our dreams a reality. Your dedication and passion for Woodchuck® are what drive us to make the highest quality, best tasting cider on the market. We take immense pride in what we do, who we are, and where we are from. In our minds we can already see our new cidery on the 27 acres of land that we drive by on our way to work each day, and we can’t wait for its completion in summer 2014 when we get to share it with all of you!