The Tree Hugger Story
Tree Hugger Hard Cider was founded by Tom Colton and Stephen Pratt. They shared a mutual love for making cider, and when four carboys and a barrel quickly turned into four barrels, the idea of creating a business was born.
A love for natural hard cider…
and natural ingredients is what led us to create Tree Hugger Hard Cider. In a time when ciders are often produced on the sweeter side, we wanted to reach back to the tradition of a more artisanal cider, with a complex and honest flavor profile.
For us, it begins with the proper selection of apple varieties needed to create a cider we’re proud of. We choose heirloom varieties of the finest quality and use a natural fermentation process. No refined sugar is ever added- we rely on cane sugar, honey, organic brown sugar, and granulated maple sugar.
Our varieties of cider…
are based on what our local agriculture provides us. Everything we use, from apples to honey, blueberries to cherries, all are produced locally.
We still utilize the 100+ year old cider press that was once used by the Attica Cider Mill, and now is also used by West Flats Cider Works. Our cider blends are aged in bourbon barrels and stainless tanks before being racked, filtered, bottled and labeled in-house.
Our Long-term goal…
is to have a Cidery on the Hill overlooking Attica, where we can serve our Tree Hugger Hard Cider to the public. We are so happy that our cider-making dream has become a reality and look forward to continuing to share our product with fellow cider-lovers!
Tom & Stephen