Reviving 'America's Drink': Blake's Hard Cider and Austin Eastciders Unite To Pave the Future of Cider

The two beloved American hard cider brands are officially joining forces to form Blake's Beverage Company – now the largest independent craft hard cider company in the US¹.

ARMADA, Mich., Nov. 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Through a momentous partnership announced today, Michigan-based Blake's Hard Cider and Texas-based Austin Eastciders are coming together, alongside the Pacific Northwest's Avid Cider Company (acquired by Blake's Hard Cider last year), to rekindle a piece of American history and supercharge the resurgence of the cider category.

The uniting of these three brands to create Blake's Beverage Company marks the revival of cider as "America's Drink", a tradition that dates back to 1899, when hard cider was the preferred beverage for millions of Americans, with a staggering 55 million gallons produced in America alone². Today, hard cider is experiencing a cross-category renaissance with consumers looking for authentic, innovative, fruit-forward propositions to share with friends and family, whatever the occasion.

Blake's Hard Cider, deeply rooted in a 1,000 acre plus apple-producing farm in Armada, Mich, proudly upholds a family legacy spanning nearly 80 years. Avid Cider Company, hailing from the cider-rich Pacific Northwest in Bend, Ore, brings its adventurous spirit to this patriotic fusion. Meanwhile, Austin Eastciders, born and nurtured in the Live Music Capital of the World, Austin, Texas, adds a Texan twist to this unified partnership.

Blake's Beverage Company holds a prominent position in actively fueling cider culture, evident in their home markets (ranked #1 in Texas and #1 in Michigan). Their mission is to harness this home market passion and their bold flavor innovations to excite consumers across the rest of the US.

"We don't want to change what makes these brands great, we are coming together to become the largest independent cider company in the US," shares Andrew Blake, CEO and founder of Blake's Hard Cider. "While our passions and mission align, each brand offers consumers unique flavors, personalities, and complementary perspectives filtered through the lenses of their regions."

In this partnership:

• With operations spanning across New York, Michigan, Oregon, and Texas, Blake's Beverage Company will have significant scale covering all primary apple-growing regions of the US. This presence ensures a steady apple supply for all brands with a portfolio estimated to be close to two million cases in 2023.
• Blake's Beverage Company can now deliver a more complete portfolio of products with a variety of flavors across several price tiers meeting a wider selection of consumers where they shop and drink. 

"Our founders' vision 10 years ago was to be the #1 Cider in Texas and the #1 Craft Cider everywhere we choose to go," states John Glick, President and CEO of Austin Eastciders. "With this partnership, we believe we can fulfill our founders' mission to bring more cider to the masses." Glick will remain with the company in a leadership role through the transition.

Details of this deal have not been publicly disclosed.

For more information about Blake's Hard Cider and the new Blake's Beverage Company, please visit www.BlakesBevCo.com.

ABOUT AUSTIN EASTCIDERS 
With the inclusive rallying-cry, "Cider Y'all," Austin Eastciders produces craft ciders in Austin, Texas, using real ingredients and bittersweet apples to create traditionally inspired ciders. Founded in 2013, Austin Eastciders offers a robust core collection including the best-selling Original Dry, Blood Orange, Pineapple and Imperial Tropical Punch. The cidery also produces a rotating line of limited release ciders ranging from Piña Colada to Hatch Green Chile – and everything in between – available in small batches in Texas and at their Collaboratory location, open 7 days a week on the East Side of Austin. Can't make it to Texas? That's too bad, we wish you could! You can pick up a Taste of Texas in Austin Eastciders packaged products available across 22 states including the Northeast, Southeast and Southwest. For the latest on Austin Eastciders, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@eastciders) or visit austineastciders.com

ABOUT AVID CIDER COMPANY
Avid Cider Company seeks to provide the category solution to what we found was a lack of balance between excessively dry or cloyingly sweet ciders available in the marketplace in 2013. Founded as the "just right" alternative to the burgeoning cider market, Avid saw the opportunity to create better balanced hard cider that still quenches the consumer's deep thirst for adventure. We are on a mission to bring out the best of the Northwest with our clean, natural, and locally-sourced cider.

As a company with deep roots in the Pacific Northwest, Avid fosters a deep connection to our consumers, providing award-winning cider  with off-the-wall consumer experiences, Bend-ing the rules for what cider can be in Bend, Oregon and beyond. To keep up with Avid Cider, follow us on Facebook (@AVIDCider) and Instagram (@avidcidercompany) or visit avidcider.com.

ABOUT BLAKE'S HARD CIDER COMPANY.
Blake's Orchard and Cider Mill, founded in 1946 by Gerald and Elisabeth Blake in Armada, Michigan, was the birthplace of Blake's Hard Cider in 2013. Andrew Blake, a third-generation farmer, launched the company, a family-owned and operated American craft cider brand, right on the family's 78-year-old farm in hopes of challenging the status quo of "hard cider", with a focus on fresh pressed apples and adventurous flavor profiles.

In a short ten years of operating, Blake's Hard Cider is now a top 10 brand in the US and #1 in Michigan, with distribution across 29 states, and three manufacturing facilities. The brand remains rooted in fruit-forward product innovation with flavors that play outside the lines of traditional hard cider, offering customers a more unique yet still approachable beverage to enjoy. To keep up with Blake's Hard Cider, follow us on Instagram and Facebook (@blakeshardciderco).

¹IRI Total US MULO + C for last 13 weeks ending 9/10/2023
²Watson, B. 1999. Cider Hard and Sweet: History, Traditions, and Making Your Own. The Countryman Press, Woodstock, Vermont.

SOURCE Blake's Beverage Company

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