CERTIFIED ORGANIC
SEA CIDER FARM & CIDERHOUSE
Vancouver Island, BC
Sea Cider is a farm-based cidery located on the Saanich Peninsula just minutes from Victoria, on Vancouver Island. The ten acre organic farm is home to over 1,300 apple trees, made up of over 50 varieties of heritage apples.
Sea Cider opened its farm gate for business in 2007 when owner Kristen Needham purchased the property with a vision of creating an organic farm and orchard and producing traditional fermented artisan ciders. Since then, they’ve grown to comprise an orchard of over 50 varietals of cider apples and heritage varietals, and an annual cider production of over 7,000 cases and growing. The orchard comprises 4 categories of cider apples: sweets, sharps, bittersweets and bittersharps. Primarily they grow English bittersweets but also German, French and North American cider varieties. Sea Cider prides themselves on crafting traditionally fermented ciders from organically grown apples.
Sea Cider is a certified organic farm in compliance with Canada’s National Organic Standards through ECOCERT. The certifications issued by Ecocert guarantee and highlight the best environmentally friendly and socially conscious practices. Sea Cider's organic practices focus on minimal intervention and prevention of disease and insect infestations through soil health and attentive tree maintenance. In particular, they maintain the health of the trees by encouraging and nourishing soil biodiversity and preventing soil erosion.
The Region
Vancouver Island’s Saanich area is well known for fruit farming. The proximity to the Pacific waters and sea breeze from the Haro Strait create the perfect environment for the apples in the orchard to develop optimal sugar and acidity. The orchard is protected by forest shelter to the south, and its east-facing aspect provides good air movement off the waters of Haro Strait. The seas also moderate our micro-climate, preventing dangerous freezes and allowing the apples’ acids and sugars to develop in abundance. The topsoil is rich with organic matter and nutrients, and just under the topsoil layer is three-foot layer of glacial till which provides good soil drainage. Below this, a deeper layer of fine clay holds moisture during our dry summers and provides an exceptional source of nutrients for the trees’ taproots to access.
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