THEY say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
That’s definitely the case at Thirlmere’s Cedar Creek Orchard.
Nathan Silm, son of farm owner Mark Silm, will use his family’s apples and juice to create a new brand of traditional alcoholic apple cider.
The business venture started two years ago and now Mr Silm is set up and ready to start brewing.
“My brother and I used to tinker around with turning our family’s apple juice into cider,” he said.
“Two years ago I began the process of starting my own cider company and now it is a reality.
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“I can start producing cider because my development application with Wollondilly Council has been approved and I am fully licenced to produce and wholesale cider.”
He has now set up his equipment on site at Cedar Creek Orchard farm.
Mr Silm’s will produce two “classic apple taste” flavours in the Cedar Creek Cider range.
“I will be able to make 10,000 litres of cider at a time,” he said. “I am not large-scale but I’m not small scale either.
“Within the next two weeks I will be trailling four different flavour batches.
“The flavours will be group taste-tested and then I will take the two most popular tastes to a commercial scale.
“The base product will be a medium sweet crisp apple cider.”
If you have great apple juice then you can produce a great cider.
- Nathan Slim
The cider will be sold directly to locals from Cedar Creek Orchard farm.
“I will sell from the farm and I have also approached local bars, pubs and licenced premises to see who would be interested in stocking my cider,” he said.
“Thankfully many are interested.”
Apple cider is Mr Silm’s “drink of choice”.
“In the past couple of years I have been trying to taste as many ciders as I can so I know what I am up against,” he said.
“I will not be trying to compete with the larger-scale named brands.
“My cider will be marketed as a better quality, more traditional cider.”
Mr Silm said the cider would be similar to the Cedar Creek Orchard juice that locals know and love.
People have been telling my Dad for many years to start a cider range but he has never had time to do it.
- Nathan Slim
“If you have great apple juice then you can produce a great cider,” he said.
“I will take my Dad’s juice then I will add yeast and nutrients.
“The temperature needs to be closely controlled and through the natural chemical reaction, the yeast will turn the juice into alcohol.
“The longer the cider is left then the drier and more alcoholic it becomes.”
Mr Silm encouraged the local community to try out his range.
“People have been telling my Dad for many years to start a cider range but he has never had time to do it,” Mr Silm said.
“So with a little help from the community and good quality cider then I hope the range will be successful.”
Mr Silm hopes trails will finish in July and plans to have a commercial batch available to the public by late September.
For more information and updates, visit Cedar Creek Cider on Facebook.
- This story first appeared on The Wollondilly Adveriser.
