[from original press release]
First Online Curator of Fine, Heritage Ciders Will Offer Hard-to-Find Bottles from Cideries Around the U.S.
The hard cider category has seen explosive growth since 2012 , and today sees the launch of Cider in Love, the first online curator of fine, heritage ciders. The platform brings increased visibility to small-batch, high-quality bottles produced by independent makers across the country.
Cider in Love is an immersive digital platform where consumers can learn about and purchase fine, heritage cider directly from small cideries around the country – the venture offers small makers a new opportunity to share their passion and their products with American imbibers. Founder and president Annie Bystryn sought out partnerships with a range of talented cider makers across the United States, including Tilted Shed in California, Alpenfire in Washington, South Hill and Slyboro in New York and many more. Cider in Love’s partners are all small producers who are deeply committed to using cider-specific and heirloom apples and age old fermentation techniques to produce the highest-quality and nuanced ciders. With unique discovery tools designed to demystify the oft-misunderstood beverage, like an interactive tasting guide and editorial content contributed by cider makers and experts, Cider in Love will champion the beverage’s complexity, treating it with the same level of respect and nuance as fine wine.
Jenn Smith, executive director of the New York Cider Association says, “Springing as it does from a place of passion, Annie’s vision for bringing premium heritage ciders to curious drinkers through great content and visuals has real potential to expand the demand for cider from New York and beyond. The Cider in Love platform is an elegant tool for educating consumers about ciders that are farm-based, sustainable, and delicious, in the face of an increasingly crowded and often confusing marketplace.”
Not only will Cider in Love provide a virtual megaphone for fine cider makers, it allows consumers to buy directly from small cideries that often have very limited distribution. The platform will operate in a similar manner to Etsy – orders placed on the platform go directly to individual cideries, where each maker will review the order, pack the bottles with care, and ship them directly to your doorstep. At last, more consumers will be able to taste an orchard in their glass.
The platform aims to inspire both new drinkers and cider aficionados alike. While the cider market is already mature overseas, particularly in the UK, France and Spain, many American consumers are not as knowledgeable about fine cider as they are about fine wine. Cider in Love addresses that gap by providing an immersive yet simple digital platform that offers tips and ideas about how to sip and savor fine cider in an easy, playful and educational way. The site also provides insight into what makes fine heritage cider special. Inspired by the concept of terroir, artisanal makers often work in small batches and use heirloom and cider-specific apple varieties to create delightful and nuanced ciders that offer a completely different experience from mass-produced options. In fact, their work continues and revives an historic American tradition of cider making and drinking – as founding father Ben Franklin once said, “It’s bad to eat apples. It’s better to turn them all into cider.”
Each product listed on Cider in Love features a visual snapshot of what you’ll experience in a sip. Tasting notes are easily understood through simple botanical illustrations and two sliding scales that rate each cider from dry to sweet and still to sparkling. The site is also uniquely rich in cider-focused content that ranges from food pairings and how-to-guides to apple history and cocktail recipes. Cider in Love’s customer experience is thoughtful from first click to first sip.
“I am enchanted by the wild and wonderful world of fine heritage cider. My passion is introducing these often hard-to-find, small batch treasures from creative and talented makers to a larger audience of both new and passionate cider fans,” says Cider in Love president and founder Annie Bystryn. “When warm weather arrives, folks typically reach for a bottle of white wine or rosé. It’s time to change that up. There are zesty, crisp and sparkling fine ciders that are a dream for al fresco sipping. Our goal at Cider in Love is to make artisanal, heritage ciders more accessible and share with folks new to cider all the incredible ways to sip & savor. Every heritage cider captures a time and a place that you can sip in a glass.”
Although Cider in Love is a national platform, bottles are not available for delivery in all states. Please visit www.ciderinlove.com for more information.
