FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FINNRIVER FARM & CIDERY WINS 2015 GOOD FOOD AWARD
Friday, January 9, 2015
Finnriver Farm & Cidery in Chimacum Washington, was one of three recipients of the 2015 GOOD FOOD AWARDS in their inaugural cider category at last night’s gala award ceremony at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. Finnriver’s Black Currant Cider, fermented from Washington organic apples, was their winning entry. The other two winners were Eden Ice Cider’s Heirloom Blend from Vermont and Shacksbury’s The 1840, also from Vermont. Finalists included ciders from Blue Mountain and Wandering Aengus in Oregon.
According the Good Food Awards, ‘The Good Food Awards celebrate the kind of food we all want to eat: tasty, authentic and responsibly produced. We grant awards to outstanding American food producers and the farmers who provide their ingredients.’
Finnriver co-founder Crystie Kisler and Finnriver cider ambassador Jana Daisy-Ensign were at the ceremony to receive the award and Kisler was invited on stage to offer remarks on the growing cider revival across the country:
“In a remarkable resurgence, hard cider is the fastest growing category in the US beverage market and a revived cider culture is taking root across the country. This renaissance includes a great range of producers making cider in all manner of ways from the ancient to the innovative. A fermented apple, it turns out, can become many things depending on the variety and the method– from the sweet and sumptuous to the tart and tannic. Today’s cider finalists at the Good Food awards represent this range of approaches and tastes, and their submissions celebrate the versatility of this fantastic fruit as well as the wide geographic reach of the blossoming American cider community– from my colleagues at Blue Mountain and Wandering Aengus in Oregon to Eden and Shacksbury in Vermont. Some cideries are reinvigorating old traditions, re-planting historic cider apples, and rediscovering age old pleasures, while some are fermenting with a fresh twist and blending with bold new ideas. At Finnriver, we are very grateful to the cidermasters who’ve come before and helped mentor a new generation of cidermakers and lovers. At its best, we hope our cider offers an honorable and joyful taste of earth’s good fruits and that it connects folks back to life on the land—reminding us to be grateful and to take care.”
Finnriver co-owners Keith & Crystie Kisler and Eric Jorgensen, along with the Finnriver crew, farm and ferment organically on 80 protected acres in Chimacum, along a restored salmon stream on the north Olympic Peninsula of Washington. They are committed to handcrafting both traditional and innovative ciders with apples from organic and homestead Washington orchards. Finnriver ciders pay a tribute to old hard cider styles but also offer an approachable, fresh perspective on the possibilities of the fermented apple. Finnriver Farm is certified salmon safe and pursues wise land stewardship through organic agriculture, land conservation, habitat restoration, community education and seasonal celebration. Finnriver ciders are farmcrafted in small batches and are available in the following regions: WA, OR, California, Northern Idaho, AZ, NV, Illinois, Texas, Alberta and BC.
According the Good Food Awards, ‘We host an annual Awards Ceremony and Marketplace in San Francisco to honor the Good Food Award recipients who push their industries towards craftsmanship and sustainability while enhancing our agricultural landscape and building strong communities. In its fifth year, Good Food Awards will be given to winners in 11 categories: beer, charcuterie, cheese, chocolate, coffee, confections, pickles, preserve, spirits, oil and our newest category, honey. Awards will be given to producers and their food communities from each of five regions of the US. The Good Food Awards Seal, found on winning products, assures consumers they have found something exceptionally delicious that also supports sustainability and social good.’
Full list of winners here: http://www.goodfoodawards.org/2015-winners/
For downloadable Finnriver marketing materials, logos, photos and press links: http://www.finnriver.com/index.php?page=marketing-materials
Contact Crystie Kisler at crystie@finnriverfarm.com or 360-821-9836 for more information.
Want to see what we do and why?
Here are two short Finnriver films we hope you enjoy!