Sometimes all it takes is one sip.

It happened to the founders of Woodfolk Cider, Martha Lowry and Alistair Whitehead, and it can happen to YOU! What began as a shared love of food, drink, and hospitality eventually led them to plant orchards, build a cidery, and welcome visitors to their 87-acre farm in Ontario, Canada.

Today, their orchard-based cidery sits among forests, rivers, rolling hills, and rows of young cider apple trees and the open invitation to expand your universe one glass at a time.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 The Cider Discovery Moment
00:52 Meet Woodfolk Cider
02:23 French Cider Tour Update
04:49 Secret Tap at Four Phantoms
07:53 eCiderNews Roundup
10:33 Welcome to Woodfolk's Orchard
12:18 The Farm and Family Origins
13:03 From Music and Brewing to Cider
15:09 Distilling, Spirits and Ontario Taxes
17:38 Building the Tasting Room Experience
18:17 The Woodfolk Cider Lineup
19:19 Introducing Tannic Cider to New Drinkers
21:17 The LCBO Challenge for Farm Cideries
24:14 Pressing Apples and Growing Orchards
26:51 Perry Pears, Climate and Terroir
29:22 Harvest-Based Fermentation
29:49 Barrel Aging and Neutral Oak
30:57 Learning From Happy Accidents
32:00 Yeast Choices and Orchard Diversity
33:48 Tasting Meadowland
34:54 Harvest Dates and Labeling Rules
36:23 Cider, Stewardship and Community
40:06 Modern Love Cider
40:39 Copper Moon and the Art of Blending
43:54 Food Pairings and the "Aha" Moment
46:33 Looking Five Years Ahead
48:17 Final Thoughts on Woodfolk Cider
49:55 French Cider Tour Reminder
51:04 Closing Theme Song

• Website: woodfolkcider.com

Located near Orillia, Ontario, approximately 90 minutes northwest of Toronto.

• Totally Cider Tours
• eCiderNews
• French Cider Tour 2026
• Cider Going Up Patreon

Find the full show notes for Episode 507 at CiderChat.com

Direct Link:
https://ciderchat.com/podcast/507-woodfolk-cider-ontario/

Listen wherever you get your podcasts and don't forget to subscribe so you never miss what's coming next in Ciderville.

Prefer to watch?
Find Cider Chat on YouTube for more cider stories, orchard adventures, and global cider culture.

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https://patreon.com/ciderchat

Richard Yi of Brooklyn Cider House isn't interested in making cider that appeals to everyone. He's interested in making cider with personality and if you've ever enjoyed hearing a cider maker tell the story behind the glass, you're going to enjoy this conversation.

In this epiosde, you'll hear how a young man who once imagined a future in engineering found his way into the family cider business. Richard shares the influence of his father, Peter Yi, the evolution of Brooklyn Cider House, and why embracing the unpredictability of fermentation has become central to his philosophy.

Along the way, we discuss:

• Growing into a family cider legacy
• The transition from engineering to fermentation
• Why cider doesn't need to taste the same every year
• Orchard expression and vintage variation
• The role of trust in fermentation
• Brooklyn Cider House's approach to craft and authenticity
• Building a cider culture that values difference over uniformity

Whether you're a cider maker, orchardist, or simply someone who enjoys discovering what makes a cider unique, Richard offers thoughtful insights into the balance between tradition, experimentation, and family.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Cider With Personality: Richard Yi's Approach to Craft Cider

01:34 Ciderville Standards Update

03:19 French Cider Tour 2026 Preview

04:50 Meet Richard Yi of Brooklyn Cider House

05:44 Family Roots, Wine, and the Path to Cider

07:23 Richard's Food Pairing Philosophy

09:31 Working Inside Brooklyn Cider House

10:43 Succession Planning and Learning the Craft

14:23 Building the New Paltz Farm and Orchard

17:28 Creating a Destination Tasting Room

18:27 Pizza, Barbecue, and Growing Crowds

21:10 Events and Community Building

23:15 Celebrating Korean Culture Through Cider

25:21 Craft Cider Versus Commodity Production

26:05 Native Yeast Fermentation and Cider Making

30:03 Wild Fermentation Versus Cultured Yeast

30:44 Small-Batch Ciders and Limited Releases

31:25 The Story Behind Nomad Cider

33:19 Nomad Cider Tasting Notes

35:24 Apples, Oak, and Barrel Aging

37:37 Sherry Cask-Aged Cider Explained

39:28 Lopez de Heredia and Winemaking Influence

42:15 Dance: A Basque-Inspired Fruit Co-Ferment

43:58 Dance Cider Tasting Notes and Technique

48:31 Innovation, Growth, and Consumer Trends

49:56 The Legacy of Peter Yi

51:17 Tandem Ciders Joins the CiderGoingUP Campaign

53:21 Cider Chat Summer Schedule and What's Next

• Tandem Cider in Michigan joing the #ciderGoingUp campaign
• 2026 French Cider Tour
• Ganzenhof Cider – Belgium
• eCiderNews

Find the full show notes for Episode 506 at CiderChat.com

Direct Link at: https://ciderchat.com/podcast/506-richard-yi/

Listen to wherever you get your podcasts and don't forget to subscribe so you never miss what's coming next in Ciderville.

Prefer to watch?
Find Cider Chat on YouTube for more cider stories, orchard adventures, and global cider culture.

💛 Enjoy cider? Help keep #ciderGoingUP - by supporting Cider Chat.
Your support helps keep the podcast on the air and makes it possible to share more conversations like this one.

#cidergoingup

There is a question that keeps coming up in cider, small business, and independent media:

Is this sustainable?

In this episode, Ria sits down with Adrian Luna, known as the Hard Cider Guy, for a conversation that goes well beyond cider. What starts as a discussion about content creation quickly turns into something deeper. Two practitioners, each with their own discipline, circling around the same hard truth: if you do not value your work, no one else will.

This is not about rejecting collaboration or generosity. It is about understanding the long-term cost of working for free, and what it takes to build something that lasts.

From orchard life to media strategy, from martial arts philosophy to the realities of burnout, this episode asks what it really means to take your role seriously, whether you are making cider or telling its story.

Timestamps

00:00 Is Cider Work Sustainable

01:28 Episode Theme and What's at Stake

02:12 Orchard Life and Spring Work

03:47 Planting, Grafting, and Growing Trees

07:02 French Cider Tour and Limited Spots

10:22 Meet Adrian Luna The Hard Cider Guy

11:20 The Cider Sensei Mindset

13:42 Finding Cider and Career Shift

15:51 Building the Hard Cider Guy Brand

17:21 From Scholarship to Cider Career

19:13 Too Many Hats Small Business Reality

20:53 Burnout in Cider and Media

24:20 Mission Statement Versus Making Money

26:03 Does Cider Need Independent Media

27:54 Should Creators Be Paid

29:32 Why You Should Not Work for Free

29:59 Martial Arts Discipline and Cider Ethics

30:50 Why Cider Media Needs Support

32:24 Finding Your Lane in Cider

33:16 Education and Audience Building

35:29 Hooks Versus Authentic Content

37:19 Discipline Through Adversity

42:33 Community Responsibility in Cider

48:15 Key Takeaways from the Conversation

49:12 Support Cider Chat and Keep It Going

50:12 Strange Apples Outro

Find the full show notes for Episode 505 at CiderChat.com
Direct Link at: https://ciderchat.com/podcast/505-cider-senseis-media-value/

Listen wherever you get your podcasts and do not forget to subscribe so you never miss what is coming next in Ciderville.

Prefer to watch?
Find Cider Chat on YouTube for more cider stories, orchard adventures, and global cider culture.

Enjoy cider? Help keep #ciderGoingUP by supporting Cider Chat.
Your support helps keep the podcast on the air and makes it possible to share more conversations like this one.