Old Hill Cider Eyes Upgrade
February 22, 2018
· By VIC BRADSHAW Daily News-Record 2/22/18
HARRISONBURG — Old Hill Cider plans to improve its facilities outside Timberville, and the business will receive $50,000 in state and local grant money to help with that effort.
Gov. Ralph Northam’s office announced Wednesday afternoon that the Rockingham County business will receive $25,000 from the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund. Rockingham will match that amount with local money.
The cidery plans to spend $500,000 on the expansion project, and it will add five people to its staff as a result. It’s also pledged to source all the apples used to make its hard cider from Virginia growers for the next three years.
Sarah Showalter, co-owner of the cidery and Showalter’s Orchard and Greenhouse, said the money is needed to expand infrastructure that supports the agritourism hot spot. While the cider-production facility has capacity to grow, she said the farm’s shortcomings often show on the busiest days.
Among the projects the funds will be used for are expanding the parking lot, adding more restroom facilities, and providing a climate-controlled tasting room for the cidery’s products.
“Adding cider and the growth of our orchard in general made it necessary for us to be able to take care of the extra foot traffic we’ve been getting,” Showalter said. “This will make us able to handle more people and be less seasonal, which is a wonderful thing for our business.”
George Anas, Rockingham County’s economic development director, said the business is a success story in the industry for which the county is known.
“I think this is another example of celebrating agriculture’s heritage in Rockingham County,” he said. “It’s the idea of finding new ways to create revenue on the farm, and tourism is just an inherent part of that evolution.”
Revenue Generator
The farm business has been part of the Showalter family for more than 50 years, and the cidery is its new, fast-growing component.
Old Hill began production in 2011, according to the company’s website, and started selling cider the following May.
About four years later, the cidery was accounting for about the same amount of revenue as the 52-year-old orchard and the 40-year-old greenhouse.
Though the business doesn’t keep visitor statistics, Showalter said the parking lot often fills on Saturdays and lines are getting longer at the restrooms.
Anas said Old Hill is a good complement to the wineries located around the county and the craft breweries in Harrisonburg.
“I think having a cidery in Rockingham County,” he said, “adds to the diversity of those spirits and gives people an excuse to explore different parts of the county.
“They are producing just some incredible cider, and as their reputation continues to grow, so too will the foot traffic, which is what we want. We want people to spend tourism money in Rockingham County.”
The benefits from the expansion projects, Showalter said, should spill off the farm, located northwest of Timberville. The cidery sources apples and produce from neighboring growers, and extra production means more sales for everyone.
“It’s just a wonderful opportunity for us that is greatly appreciated,” she said of the grant. “I know it will help not just us but all of the farmers we work with locally, not just fruit but produce. It will help us grow and bring the others working with us along in that growth, too.”
Gov. Ralph Northam’s office announced Wednesday afternoon that the Rockingham County business will receive $25,000 from the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund. Rockingham will match that amount with local money.
The cidery plans to spend $500,000 on the expansion project, and it will add five people to its staff as a result. It’s also pledged to source all the apples used to make its hard cider from Virginia growers for the next three years.
Sarah Showalter, co-owner of the cidery and Showalter’s Orchard and Greenhouse, said the money is needed to expand infrastructure that supports the agritourism hot spot. While the cider-production facility has capacity to grow, she said the farm’s shortcomings often show on the busiest days.
Among the projects the funds will be used for are expanding the parking lot, adding more restroom facilities, and providing a climate-controlled tasting room for the cidery’s products.
“Adding cider and the growth of our orchard in general made it necessary for us to be able to take care of the extra foot traffic we’ve been getting,” Showalter said. “This will make us able to handle more people and be less seasonal, which is a wonderful thing for our business.”
George Anas, Rockingham County’s economic development director, said the business is a success story in the industry for which the county is known.
“I think this is another example of celebrating agriculture’s heritage in Rockingham County,” he said. “It’s the idea of finding new ways to create revenue on the farm, and tourism is just an inherent part of that evolution.”
Revenue Generator
The farm business has been part of the Showalter family for more than 50 years, and the cidery is its new, fast-growing component.
Old Hill began production in 2011, according to the company’s website, and started selling cider the following May.
About four years later, the cidery was accounting for about the same amount of revenue as the 52-year-old orchard and the 40-year-old greenhouse.
Though the business doesn’t keep visitor statistics, Showalter said the parking lot often fills on Saturdays and lines are getting longer at the restrooms.
Anas said Old Hill is a good complement to the wineries located around the county and the craft breweries in Harrisonburg.
“I think having a cidery in Rockingham County,” he said, “adds to the diversity of those spirits and gives people an excuse to explore different parts of the county.
“They are producing just some incredible cider, and as their reputation continues to grow, so too will the foot traffic, which is what we want. We want people to spend tourism money in Rockingham County.”
The benefits from the expansion projects, Showalter said, should spill off the farm, located northwest of Timberville. The cidery sources apples and produce from neighboring growers, and extra production means more sales for everyone.
“It’s just a wonderful opportunity for us that is greatly appreciated,” she said of the grant. “I know it will help not just us but all of the farmers we work with locally, not just fruit but produce. It will help us grow and bring the others working with us along in that growth, too.”
