In the fertile Chimacum Valley, along the banks of a restored salmon stream, you’ll find Finnriver Farms—and a hardworking crew of doers tending the farmland and orchards and creating mind-blowingly great cider. They also create a pretty great connection between the community they serve and the land that sustains them.
It takes a (cider-enthused) village
Back in 2008, partners Eric Jorgensen and Keith and Crystie Kisler, founded Finnriver, financed completely by local and regional investors. They did that through the LION (Local Investment Opportunity Network) group—a team that connects businesses in need of financing with investors who want to keep their money local. And backed by neighbors who believed in their passion, the farm and cidery became an instant favorite in the area.
No bad apples here
With a mission to create a positive impact on the community, Finnriver makes decisions with the environment in mind. They scrub their tanks by hand instead of using a mechanized system, for instance. Their apple waste gets composted, and their excess cardboard is turned into tree planting mulch. Things like that.
Finnriver is a Certified B Corp, too—which means they meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability. In other words, they have to be honest and care about the planet. We like people like that.
Seeing the orchard for the trees
Along with sourcing organic apples from across Washington state, Finnriver picks from their own orchard of more than 6,500 trees. Their organic fruit forest is home to over 20 varieties of heirloom and antique apple cider varieties, to conserve the genetic diversity of the fruit and preserve the culture and heritage of traditional cidermaking.
With all these apple personalities and flavors, they create ciders that honor old hard cider traditions, as well as inspiring new brews. Bring a few home and taste all this ciderhouse creativity for yourself.