Friday, April 8, 2022
CapitalPress.com
3
Jordan Fox/NW Cider Association
The Northwest’s cideries
have survived the pan-
demic, fi res and leaf-curl-
ing hot weather with in-
novative ideas that off set
lower tasting room sales.
Cider industry: Overcoming challenges
By GAIL OBERST
For the Capital Press
It hasn’t been easy, but North-
west cider producers and the
orchardists who supply them have
survived a pandemic, fi res and a
blossom-withering heat dome.
“We have a group of really pas-
sionate cidermakers,” said Emily
Ritchie, executive director of the
Northwest Cider Association. The
association members include more
than 151 cideries, allied suppli-
ers, orchardists and enthusiasts in
Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Mon-
tana and British Columbia.
Recent trends were released
in January in the association’s
Economic Impact Report. A few
months earlier, the association
released its Annual Report for 2021.
Because the association’s member-
ship includes a range of the region’s
cideries, from the largest to small-
est, the fi ndings are important to the
150 to 200 non-member cideries as
well, Ritchie said.
The reports refl ect an upward
trend that continues despite chal-
lenges over the past two years,
Ritchie said. Innovations beginning
in 2020 that included direct ship-
ping and online ordering have made
access easier for customers who
could no longer visit tasting rooms.
“If you can’t get in front of peo-
ple, it’s diffi cult to sell,” Ritchie
said. Now in its second year, the
association’s cider club off ers its
subscribers an array of samples,
most of which are rare or unique.
Launched in 2020, as of March
2022, club members in 35 states
now purchase nearly 600 boxes of
samples per quarter.
The club is just one innovation
among others inspired by the pan-
demic. In 2019, about 30% of the
cideries were selling online. Today,
Ritchie estimates about 70% of
Northwest cideries now sell online.
Regulations for shipping may vary
from state to state, but the North-
west has the infrastructure and sup-
port for owners who are willing to
invest in shipping.
Noting the trend, in 2019 the
association hired an attorney to
help its members navigate ship-
ping rules. Software and experts are
now available to help track prod-
ucts through state regulations and
licensing.
Other recent trends refl ect a
maturing cider industry. With the
ingredients, the markets, and the
infrastructure in place locally for a
new business, less capital is needed
to start a cidery in the Northwest,
Ritchie said.
As a result, it is easier for people
in this region, especially women,
to start cideries than it is in other
regions. Nearly half of the cider-
ies are owned by women in an
overall beverage world where
women make up 10% of leadership
roles.
Still, if the recent past is any
indication of the future, challenges
to the cider industry, along with
wine and beer businesses, won’t
end as masks come off .
In 2020 and 2021, the Wash-
ington apple crop was down 6%.
Washington and other producers in
the Northwest saw crops wither in
the heat or burn in fi res due to con-
ditions that may continue. Glass
shortages and other supplies that
come from outside the region have
pushed up prices.
“Juice prices, endless pivot-
ing, and never before seen obsta-
cles make it even more challeng-
ing to meet new customers in new
ways,” said Scott Katsma of the
Seattle Cider Co. and the associa-
tion’s board president.
From the report and the survey
(2019 statistics released in January
2022), here are a few highlights of
the Northwest cider industry:
• 160 ciders were entered in the
2021 Portland International cider
Cup, one of the largest cider com-
petitions in the nation.
• In 2021, Northwest cidermak-
ers purchased 80 million pounds of
apples.
• 48% of the association’s mem-
bers are women.
• The average price for cider and
heirloom fruits last year was 50
cents per pound.
• The annual Northwest Cider
Symposium attracted 210 virtual
attendees last year and more than
200 actual attendees this year.
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