Angry Orchard Coming To Orange County

WALDEN—Angry Orchard announced on April 23 a new home for research and development at a historic apple orchard in Walden.

The cider makers at Angry Orchard have been exploring different apple varieties and crafting ciders for 20 years, and are looking forward to greatly expanding that experimentation and driving innovation at their own 60-acre orchard, the company stated.

This orchard is a particularly good fit for Angry Orchard due to its rich apple growing history and the region’s exciting craft cider culture. Also, the town, state and a number of local organizations have all been very enthusiastic and cooperative in helping the cider maker establish roots in the region, company officials said.

“For some time now, we have been looking to establish a home for our cider research, and this orchard is perfect for us. Not only does the orchard itself have a great history, but the Hudson Valley has such a vibrant group of apple growers and craft cider makers,” said David Sipes, Angry Orchard Cider Maker. “Right now we’re focused on this year’s apple crop and also mapping out our research plan.”

This location has been a farm since at least the mid-1700s, with the first apple trees dating back at least 100. The farm was completely converted to a full-time apple orchard by the 1950s. Today, the orchard grows a number of apples, including varieties like Empire and McIntosh. The Crist Family, the orchard’s previous owner, has a long history of growing apples in the region, and had owned the property since 1963. The family will continue to cultivate the orchard and retain all jobs associated with caring for and harvesting the land. With the cidery, Angry Orchard plans to add new jobs in the greater Walden community.

Angry Orchard also intends to build a small cidery on-site with cider making equipment specifically designed for small batch experimentation. Using different ingredients, apple varieties, recipes and processes, the cider makers will develop innovative ciders to share with drinkers at the orchard that could eventually become part of Angry Orchard’s family of ciders available nationwide.

The cidery plans to be open for visitors beginning in the late fall. First launched in 2012, Angry Orchard is the number one hard cider in the US, where cider has grown to nearly five times its size since 2010. Hard cider is showing up on more menus than ever as a refreshing alternative to craft beer and wine company officials noted.

John Jordan
Editor, Real Estate In-Depth