our story

We help apples reach their full potential as craft cider.

We rescue local fruit and create experimental cider rooted in community and inspired by the distinct flavours and culture of the prairies.

We invest our time, energy, and profits back into our community.

As hobbyist cidermakers, we wanted a space to share our journey, and thus “yegcider” was born. We used our online presence to engage with fellow cider lovers both in Edmonton and around the world, with the goal of raising the profile of craft cider in Alberta. We shared our stories of developing our craft through lots of experimentation, formal training, and knowledge gathering from members of the industry.

We experimented with local fruit to discover the strengths and weakness of fruit that can grow on the prairies. In the spring of 2018, we planted an orchard with cold hardy trees and began grafting our favourite locally available varieties into our collection.

Our travels took us to visit and learn from other cidermakers throughout British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. This gave us a strong understanding of the industry, as well as the skills needed and foundational philosophies important to craft cidermaking.

Through practice, tastings, and gathering feedback we developed a style of cider that embraces the flavours of the Prairies.

From yegcider -> Prairie North Cider Co.

From the beginning, we thought – what if we could make cider our real job? In the spring of 2018, when we felt that the timing was right, we incorporated as Prairie North Cider Co. We are taking the final steps to make our dream come true – our cidery is set to open in the summer of 2019. Our vision is to focus on locally sourced ingredients and prairie flavours while making a positive impact in our community. We are excited to continue working with other local people and organizations on this vision, true to our cultural prairie roots.

We will continue to use #yegcider to promote a reduction of food waste, to embrace local fruit, and to encourage the development of great craft cidermakers and cider drinkers in Alberta.

Meet the people behind Prairie North Cider Co.

Learn Why We Make Cider