Dragon's Head Cider

What Dragon's Head Cider does

Dragon's Head Cider is a Vashon Island, Washington-based craft cidery founded in 2010 by Wes and Laura Cherry that produces traditional English and French-style hard ciders and perry from heirloom cider apple and perry pear varieties grown in its own orchard. The company is vertically integrated from harvest through pressing, fermentation, blending, and bottling on the farm, and applies craft methods including wild fermentation, Méthode Traditionnelle sparkling production, and two-year neutral French oak aging for its Pommeau. Its portfolio comprises 14 distinct SKUs including Bittersweet, Wild Fermented, Russet, Airlie Red, Rosé, Columbia Crabapple, Crimson Gold, Kingston Black, Sweet Dabinett, Dabinett Reserve, Newtown Pippin Sparkling, Sparkling Perry, and Pommeau, with traditional cider apple varieties (Kingston Black, Harry Masters Jersey, Dabinett, Medaille d'Or, Reine de Pomme) sourced both from the proprietary orchard and small regional growers in Washington and Oregon.

The company operates a multi-channel direct-to-consumer go-to-market anchored by two owned tasting room locations on Vashon Island - the year-round Uptown room and the seasonal Orchard location (May–October) - with a quarterly cider club subscription offering 10–20% tiered discounts, an online store shipping to more than 40 U.S. states via UPS, regional farmers markets staffed by Cider Ambassadors, and wholesale distribution limited to Washington and Oregon. Premium bottle pricing ranges from $17 to $30 per 750 mL across the standard lineup, with Pommeau priced at $25 per 375 mL. Explicit production differentiators include the avoidance of apple juice concentrate, over-sweetening, and added fruits, in favor of orchard-controlled apple and pear character.

Dragon's Head is privately held, founder-owned and operated, with no disclosed institutional funding, no parent company, no M&A activity, and no external investors. Production follows a tightly seasonal cycle that begins in September with harvest, spans approximately three months of fall pressing, runs slow low-temperature fermentation through winter, proceeds to blending trials in early spring, and concludes with summer bottling - imposing structural limits on annual case-good output. The customer base is entirely individual/small-buyer (tasting room visitors, online buyers, cider club members, farmers market shoppers) with no enterprise or large commercial accounts, and target personas include artisan cider enthusiasts, wine/sparkling connoisseurs, and local food movement supporters.

Name

Dragon's Head Cider

Legal name

Dragon's Head Cider

Website

https://dragonsheadcider.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dragon's Head Cider is a Vashon Island, WA cidery founded in 2010 producing traditional English-style ciders and perry from heirloom apples and perries, selling direct-to-consumer via two tasting rooms, a cider club, online shipping to 40+ states, and WA/OR distribution.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisanal Hard Cider Production

NAICS

Beverage Manufacturing (3121)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Cider & Perry Production (AFAFAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cider & Perry Producers & Brands (CRADAIAE), Cideries & Meadery Tasting Rooms (THAFALAI), Cider & Orchard Fruit Production (Apples/pears for cider & processing) (AFAGACAJ)

Keywords

• Traditional hard cider
• French english cider
• Perry production
• Cider club subscription
• Orchard tasting room

Headquarters

HQ city

Vashon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tasting Room Retail Sales: Direct sales at Uptown tasting room (year-round) and Orchard location (seasonal May-October) with on-site consumption, tastings, and bottle/glass sales. Includes food menu of shareable plates pairing with ciders.
2. Online Store Direct Sales: Direct-to-consumer bottle sales shipped via UPS to states where legal. Range of ciders from $17-$30 per 750mL bottle, plus merchandise like logo glasses and bottle stoppers.
3. Cider Club Subscription: Quarterly shipments of 3, 6, or 12 bottles with tiered discounts (10%, 15%, 20% respectively). Membership is free to join; members receive new releases and small-batch ciders not available elsewhere. Pickup at tasting room also available.
4. Farmer's Market Sales: Sales at regional farmer's markets through dedicated cider ambassador staff. Commission-based compensation for market sales.
5. Distribution to Retail: Wholesale distribution of ciders through regional retailers in Washington and Oregon states.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Dragon's Head Cider is a craft cidery based on Vashon Island, Washington that produces traditional English and French style hard ciders and perry from 100% apple juice (no concentrates). The company ferments and bottles single-varietal and blended ciders, including a sparkling cider made using the Méthode Traditionnelle, and sells them through two tasting rooms, a cider club subscription, an online store, farmer's markets, and regional wholesale distribution in WA and OR.

Product overview

Dragon's Head Cider is a single-product cider and perry producer operating two tasting room locations on Vashon Island, WA. Their portfolio consists of 14 distinct cider and perry varieties (Bittersweet, Wild Fermented, Russet, Airlie Red, Rosé, Columbia Crabapple, Crimson Gold, Dabinett Reserve, Newtown Pippin Sparkling, Sparkling Perry, Perry, Pommeau, Kingston Black, and Sweet Dabinett ciders), with production spanning from apple/pear pressing through fermentation, blending, and bottling all conducted on their farm. The company operates a direct-to-consumer model through two retail locations, an online store, a quarterly cider club subscription (offering 3, 6, or 12 bottle options with 10-20% member discounts), and distribution in Washington and Oregon.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wild Bittersweet Cider
• Russet Cider
• Ginger Cider
• Hops Cider
• Cove Cider
• Cherry Cider
• Blackberry Cider
• Quince Cider
• Strawberry Cider
• Boysenberry Cider
• Pomme Cider A traditional dry apple cider made in the French style from 100% apple juice.
• Perry A traditional perry (pear cider) made from pears using the same French/English-inspired methods as the apple ciders.
• Sparkling Perry A sparkling version of the cidery's perry, made using the Méthode Traditionnelle (bottle-conditioned) approach.
• Sparkling Heirloom Cider A sparkling cider made from heirloom apple varieties using the Méthode Traditionnelle (bottle-conditioned, secondary fermentation) process.
• Cider Club A subscription program offering members regular shipments of Dragon's Head ciders and perry, member-only perks, and access to limited releases. Targeted at craft cider enthusiasts seeking recurring, curated cider experiences.
• Uptown Tasting Room A year-round tasting room on Vashon Island, WA offering flights, pours, and bottle sales to walk-in visitors and cider fans.
• Orchard Tasting Room A seasonal tasting room located at the cidery's orchard on Vashon Island, open by appointment, offering pours and bottles at the apple source.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ciders aged minimum 6 months from fall harvest to summer bottling

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Stem Ciders: Denver, CO-based craft cidery focused on dry, traditional-style ciders made in a custom-built production facility with an attached taproom — directly comparable in traditional-method positioning and DTC-led retail model.
• 2 Towns Ciderhouse: Corvallis, OR-based craft cidery with a broad traditional and experimental cider portfolio, taproom, regional distribution, and DTC channels — directly comparable in scale, multi-channel model, and Pacific Northwest footprint.
• Tieton Cider Works: Yakima, WA-based craft cidery producing estate-grown, traditional-style ciders from heritage apple varieties with a tasting room and regional distribution — closely comparable geography, sourcing philosophy, and traditional-method focus to Dragon's Head.
• Locust Cider: Woodinville, WA-based craft cidery with taproom locations and broad Pacific Northwest distribution — directly comparable in Washington-state footprint, multi-taproom retail model, and regional wholesale focus.
• Bauman's Cider: Gervais, OR-based cidery producing traditional and specialty ciders from estate and partner orchards in the Willamette Valley — comparable in Pacific Northwest traditional-cider positioning and DTC/regional distribution mix.
• Eden Specialty Ciders: Newport, VT-based cidery producing heritage French and English-style ciders and ice ciders from estate-grown fruit — directly comparable in heirloom varietal focus, premium price points, and small-batch traditional production.
• Virtue Cider: Michigan craft cidery specializing in traditional English and French méthode ciders from estate and partner orchards — one of the closest U.S. comparables in heritage-variety sourcing and traditional production methods.
• Portland Cider Company: Portland, OR-based craft cidery with a multi-SKU portfolio, two taproom locations, and Pacific Northwest distribution — comparable in DTC + regional wholesale model and Pacific Northwest footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Woodchuck Hard Cider: Vermont-based, nationally distributed hard cider brand with a broad mainstream product range — a broad incumbent competitor in the U.S. hard cider category that defines the mass-market price tier Dragon's Head deliberately sits above.
• Angry Orchard: National craft cider brand owned by Boston Beer Company, distributed across all 50 U.S. states — represents the scaled, broad-incumbent counterpoint to Dragon's Head in the same cider category, with materially greater marketing and distribution resources.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dragon's Head Cider