July 2019 - 13

and what their apples taste like in
cider form.
" In France and England, they've
been making cider for hundreds of
years, " Miller said. " They've figured
out the best apples for their region for
growing and producing tasty cider,
and there are certain flavor profiles
associated with certain areas. We
don't know that yet for Wisconsin. So
we're in the process of figuring out
what trees work best in our area. "
CIAS, along with several farmerparticipants,
is about has embarked
on a new collaborative project to
explore opportunities to expand
markets and increase profitability for
cider businesses. At the same time, the
project will establish a professional
guild for Wisconsin's cider growers,
creating a network of growers who can
help support one another.
" We hope not just to grow our own
business but to grow the industry
as a whole, with a focus on family
farms, regional flavors, sustainability,
craft and quality, " Matt Raboin said.
Industry revival seen
Between 2011 and 2015, hard cider
was the fastest-growing alcoholic
beverage category in the United
States, with sales expanding from
$89.9 million to $326.9 million,
thanks primarily to the growth
in sales of mass market ciders
produced by large beer companies.
More recently, there's been a shift
from mass-market ciders to craft
ciders, similar to how consumers
transitioned away from mass-market
lagers to craft beer.
Craft ciders now account for 25
percent of overall cider sales and
have been experiencing double-digit
growth for a number of years - a
trend that looks like it will continue.
There are now around 800 cideries
in the U.S., twice as many as there
were three years ago. Wisconsin had
18 cideries in 2018, according to
the Cyder Market website. Most of
them are relatively new, established
in the past decade or so, and most
grow some of their own apples.
Founded in 1989, the CALSbased
center focuses on sustainable
agriculture research for small- and
medium-sized farms. It specializes
in using a participatory approach,
bringing together farmers,
academics, and others across many
professions and disciplines to work
side by side to develop research
projects and educational programs
that address farmers' needs.
In the early 2000s, CIAS led an
effort known as the Eco-Apple
Project to help farmers ramp up
their insect and disease monitoring
programs and reduce their use of
pesticides. The program spun off
into a private-sector enterprise and
continues to this day. The center
also runs the university's Midwest
School for Beginning Apple Growers,
an intensive, three-day education
program for people interested in
starting an apple orchard business
that attracts about 30-40 attendees
each year.
The CIAS cider needs assessment
project, funded in part by the
David S. Bourne Foundation,
compiled information from 44 cider
businesses from around the region
and identified a list of challenges. It
quickly turned into something of a
research agenda for the center. Cider
businesses reported facing issues
related to financing, marketing, and
distribution. At the same time, they
were eager for information about
what cider apple varieties work best
for the region.
CIAS is now involved in a ciderfocused
project, along with partners
at Michigan State University,
Washington State University and the
University of Vermont, to understand
and tackle issues related to the
sales, marketing and distribution of
hard cider products. With funding
from an Agriculture and Food
Research Initiative grant from the
USDA National Institute of Food
and Agriculture, the project aims to
assess obstacles to profitability and
identify opportunities for market
expansion. FGN
Workshop participants practice making their own grafts.
FGN | JULY 2019 | 13
July 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2019
