Today we’d like to introduce you to Peter Gillitzer.
Hi Peter, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Milk and Honey Ciders started on a small farm in 2011. We started with the premise that cider (the fermented, or ‘hard’) is an underrated, historically and culturally significant beverage. Its a unique Minnesota beverage in that it takes apples, good agricultural land and abundant rainfall. The three families that started it felt that there was a gap in high-quality cider made from true cider fruit, that is, fruit that is rich in aromatics, tannins and acid. In 2011, most cider drinkers had yet to have this type of cider. We started grafting and planting trees and experimenting with different apple varieties. In 2014, we released our first commercial vintage. We have been bootstrapping since. We moved into a new facility in 2017 where we could accommodate a guest experience and more production space near the booming college town of St Joseph. Here people can enjoy a beverage, tour the pressing and cellar operations, walk the orchards and enjoy the countryside.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Running a small business is rewarding. It’s a passion project, a life goal, a work of art and a financial support system all in one. The three partners have remained friends and committed to the vision. We strongly wanted to own the business and the vision and so we have limited debt and outside investment. Often undercapitalized but in control of our destiny. We have grown to include lots of onsite programming to get people to visit us in addition to the draw of the cider experience. We have found that diversification has been key. We have an orchard operation, a pressing facility, advanced packing lines, our own wholesale operation (sales and delivery) and a complete onsite experience with food, multiple venues, music, events, etc. It’s hectic and taxing at times but we love it.
As you know, we’re big fans of Milk and Honey Ciders. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Milk and Honey Ciders in the beverage and experience business. For the last decade, we have focused on bringing the market the entire breadth the cider world has to offer. We have traditional bittersweet, dry ciders, we have heirloom styles with unique aromatics and body, we have some infused ciders with other complementary whole ingredients like blood oranges or chaga, we have apple brandies and barrelled ice ciders. We have spontaneously fermented funky minimal interventional ciders. We are unique in that we don’t compromise on our apple varieties and put out a very consistent, drinkable cider. In addition to the beverage, the experience of visiting the land of milk and honey (ciders) will leave guests with a new understanding of cider, education in orchards, cellars, pressing, fermenting and the wide variety of what fermented apples can be.
Contact Info:
- Website: milkandhoneyciders.com
- Instagram: @milkandhoneyciders
- Facebook: /milkandhoneyciders
Image Credits
Casey Vanek
Mike Thienes
