Cider company looks to make a splash on Saskatoon market
Since this spring a property just south of Saskatoon has been crushing apples and fermenting thousands of litres of cider, in what's become the best kept secret in Saskatoon.
Today the Glen at Crossmount held a Ciderday Sunday event inviting people from Saskatoon down to a new cidery about five kilometres south of the city in the village of Crossmount. The focus of the event showcased a freshly opened cidery called the Crossmount Cider Company. Local vendors were also on hand providing lunch for guests.
Operations manager for Crossmount Cider Company Tyler Kaban told CBC News this summer has been a soft launch for their cider called Flat Lander. It comes in four flavours and it has already made its way into a couple of restaurants in Saskatoon.
"We opened this spring, but it was built in 2014 and we've been adding equipment and we've produced about 20,000 litres so far," Kaban said.
Winning over craft beer drinkers
He added he's doing his part to keep up with the demand for craft ciders and craft beers, an industry that's been igniting across North America.
"The perception of cider generally in North America is really sweet, highly-carbonated beverage and we have some blends where we want to appeal to a beer drinker so we make it drier and less sweet so we're hoping to bring them on board," he said, however turning craft beer drinkers into cider drinkers is a tall order.
"We want to bring beer drinkers over but I don't think there's a direct competition with beer per se. Some of our products are like craft beer, we're trying different flavours and different things but the consumer knows it's a different product, it is gluten free so it has some appeal there."
So far sales have been steady thanks to word-of-mouth. Kaban said most people who make the trip end up tasting the product and walking away with an armful of bottles.
The Glen at Crossmount expects to officially hold a grand opening next spring, but over the winter Kaban said they're working on a couple of new batches to be ready to serve the demand coming next year.
