Blake’s Hard Cider has invested in a new production facility in Wolcott, New York – a $9 million project to support demand for the Michigan-based cidery’s offerings.
Blake’s produced more than 875,000 cases (more than 63,500 barrels) of cider in 2021, and is targeting 1.3 million cases this year (nearly 94,400 barrels), Blake Farms co-owner and president Andrew Blake told Brewbound.
The New York production facility will be connected to Cahoon Farms, an 800-acre orchard and processing plant. Blake’s will purchase apples and raw juice from Cahoon, according to a press release. Blake’s has pledged to create up to 69 new jobs in New York’s Finger Lakes region with the new facility, which is expected to be operational by mid-September.
Adding operations in New York “made a lot of sense” for Blake’s, as the company is “growing very rapidly along the East Coast,” Blake said. He added that the “apple culture is strong” in New York.
“Historically, we’re apple growers,” Blake said. “We’ve been growing apples since 1946 [when] my grandma started it, and we’re really proud of that heritage, and we want to continue to grow that part of our business as we grow our entertainment, retail, tasting room and wholesale side of our business.”
“Locally, we have known that our climate is great for beer, wine and cider, and now the rest of the country is starting to catch wind,” New York state assemblyman Brian Manktelow said in a press release. “This is a testament to [Blake’s] superb products as well as our fantastic apple production. We have fabulous seasons for growing, great people to work the fields and production lines and a community ready to further embrace the Blake Farms culture.”
Blake’s recently expanded its West Coast operations with the acquisition of Bend, Oregon-based Avid Cider Co. in April, (financial details were not disclosed). Avid is still “doing its own thing,” with support from Blake’s. The Michigan cidery has leveraged Avid’s distribution channels and production facility to continue its own expansion, Blake said.
Blake’s offerings are now distributed in 26 states, most recently expanding into Greater Kansas City (Missouri and Kansas) and New York. The cidery plans to expand into at least 28 states by the end of the year, according to the release.
“We have the best apple crop we’ve ever had,” Blake said. “As we come in to harvest, we’re really grateful to have Mother Nature on our side this year.
“We’re been one of the top, fastest growing cider companies going on five years now, and we really don’t see that stopping anytime soon,” he continued. “Our team continues to get better, our process and innovation keeps getting better, and I think our team’s doing the right things to really become America’s cider company.”
To continue to draw in consumers and meet cider demand, Blake’s is adding a new cider to its core lineup: American Apple, an imperial-style, semi-sweet hard cider. American Apple will launch across Blake’s footprint beginning August 15, and will be available in 12 oz. can 6-packs, with a suggested retail price between $10.99-$12.99.
At 8% ABV, American Apple has the highest ABV in Blake’s core lineup – Flannel Mouth, El Chavo, Triple Jam and Peach Party – which are each 6.5% ABV.
“We see trends in the right parts of the country around similar concepts [to American Apple],” Blake said. “And in our four tasting rooms in Michigan, and one out in Bend, [Oregon], our customers that come in and love us and support us, they’re telling us this is what they want. There’s never been a more organic product development for Blake’s.”
American Apple has “a lot of runway” and the ability to compete with Blake’s top performing SKU, Triple Jam – an offering that has recorded “triple-digit growth multiple years in a row,” Blake said.
Blake’s most recent innovation Peach Party, a semi-sweet cider with notes of peach and blackberry, launched as a year-round release in April, and is now the company’s No. 2 offering in sales.
“We’re very excited about our lineup right now,” Blake said. “And never felt more strong about it, to be honest.”
The focus for Blake’s now is to deepen sales of its core products across its expanding network – particularly in the Northeast and the South – rather than pushing out continuous innovation, Blake said. However, the company sees itself as a “beyond brand,” Blake added, and will continue to explore how innovations can bring more consumers into the cider category.
In 2021, Blake’s released Hard Cider Lemonades in two flavors: Blueberry Lemonade and Strawberry Lemonade. And in January, the company announced the first offering in its Bar Cart Series, with its Paloma hard cider.
“We really don’t try to think of ourselves as anything other than a company committed to making great products for everyone,” Blake said. “So we’re open to all innovation.
“There’s real good arguments to why our brand would translate really well in the spirits RTD [ready-to-drink] space, and we’re looking at R&D there,” he continued. “But I think the demand for our apple business is really strong, and we’ve got some work and growth to do there before we try to take a big lift in entering that space.”