Hard Cider fans with an eagle eye have been spotting the distinctive tap handle of their favorite brand and their desire for more is leading the dynamic young couple who launched Peat’s Original Cider last fall to develop plans to deliver more in the not too distant future.
Many of you may know Peat’s Original Cider for its flagship flavor, The Huntsman, which can be found at breweries, liquor stores and restaurants around Michigan’s Great Southwest. Now, however, after catching up with Dan and Leah Peat on a recent weekend, I’ve learned that the husband and wife team behind Peat’s Original Cider, have much bigger plans in-store when it comes to bringing hard cider to the people of the region.
In 2018 and beyond, they plan on expanding from kegs and 22-oz bottles into offering cans and eventually setting up a taproom to provide a continuous source for the brand. The two recently spent time at an industry convention and Dan tells me, “After attending CiderCon in February those were the two moves that we learned are pretty essential if we want to really compete in the craft beverage industry.” Cans for convenience and a taproom for camaraderie with fans…essential keys to compete.
As a result, right now, they’re scouting locations to figure out where the best place is to put down roots.
Leah points out, “Our production facility is in Paw Paw, on Dan’s family farm, which is where we’re also looking to plant unique varietals of apple trees. Ideally, we’ll find a place with a small footprint but large foot traffic that isn’t too far of a drive from where we produce.”
When asked what their vision is for Peat’s Original Cider, Dan says, “While many cideries take a wine-centric approach, we want to be the beer drinkers’ cider. That means, people who drink craft beer and say, ‘I’m not a cider person’ can still enjoy our product.” It’s why he and Leah are continually working on beer-inspired flavors and why they’ve made it a point to partner with breweries across Southwest Michigan, including North Pier, Watermark, Final Gravity, Lucky Girl, Barn Brewers and even Harmony Hall in Grand Rapids, among others.
In addition to being parents to two little kids and running Peat’s Original Cider together, Dan is the Sr. Director of New Business Development at Kinexus of Benton Harbor and Leah is the Storytelling Director at Aisle Rocket Studios in the Edgewater District of St. Joseph.
For now, Peat’s Original Cider offers 5 hard cider flavors, “The Huntsman” a semi-dry cider, “The Knave” a semi-dry, hopped cider, “The Cooper Collection,” which consists of three barrel-aged ciders, including a bourbon, rye and maple bourbon, with two more in the works, a rosè cider and a coffee cider. For a list of all locations that are currently selling or pouring Peat’s, take a visit to their cider finder at the link below:
