By Morgan Spear, Mountain Valley News staff
When Shawn Carney and his family moved to their house in Cedaredge and saw all the apple trees, their first thought was not to tear them out. Instead, Shawn decided that it was an opportunity to start a business that would be good for the area. In the fall of 2006, the family started Blossomwood Cidery, which they operate from their home at 794 Northeast Indian Camp Avenue. Not all of the trees on the property, such as the red delicious, were suitable for making cider, so they grafted them into heirloom American apples, some of which, according to Shawn, are almost extinct.
In the beginning, Shawn had not had extensive training in how to make hard cider. The task of making it is not a simple one. He took classes at Washington State University in 2005 and advanced classes in 2007. However, through experience, he has learned a lot more.
According to Shawn, there are three steps involved in making cider. The first step is his favorite. It involves managing the orchard and growing the trees and fruit. He enjoys this part of the process because it allows him to work with nature. “It’s always different because you’re working with nature and weather that you can’t control,” he says. Though the process is the same, the circumstances and the object of his efforts are always different.
The second step includes making the juice, fermenting it, bottling it and packaging it. The juice is squeezed in the fall and bottled it in the spring. According to Shawn, it is better to let the cider stabilize in the bottle as well, which takes about a month. Going from an apple to a bottle takes about six months. Since there is so much work involved, Shawn’s family helps. In the spring they help with planting, and in the fall they help wash the apples and press the juice.
The final step consists of getting everything ready to sell. Even after going through such a long process to make the cider, Shawn still enjoys an extra challenge in making it. His favorite kind of cider to make is French cider, which is sweeter and lower in alcohol. Shawn says it is more fun to make, but also more challenging. Alcohol acts as a preservative in cider, so when there is less alcohol in it, there are more chances it could go wrong. “When you have low alcohol, like two or three percent, there are a lot of bacteria and things that you need to worry about,” he says.
Despite the work that it involves, Shawn enjoys his business. He enjoys things even if they aren’t easy. That is something that makes Blossomwood Cidery stand out as a business. He takes satisfaction from the work he does and relies on the assumption that others surely will too.
