Fable Farm Fermentory

What Fable Farm Fermentory does

Fable Farm Fermentory is a privately held farm-based winery and cidery located in Barnard, Vermont, operating from a 1,700-foot-elevation site in the Green Mountains foothills. Founded by brothers Jon and Christopher Piana in 2008 as a vegetable Community Supported Agriculture operation and formally established as a fermentory around 2011, the company produces naturally fermented wines, ciders, honey wines, pear wines, and barrel-aged vinegars using wild/native yeast fermentation with no filtration, pasteurization, or sulfite additions. Its core technical methodology, described as "Cider as Wine," treats cider production using wine-making techniques including extended maceration and blending across traditional apple classifications (sharp, bittersweet, sweet, bittersharp). Production is intentionally limited-batch, drawing on foraged and locally grown fruit from the farm's own acreage and partner orchards.

The company generates revenue through five streams: direct-to-consumer sales via an on-site tasting room (Saturdays) and online wine shop, a quarterly wine club shipping to 40 US states, farm-to-table hospitality and events (Feast & Field Thursdays, Rumney Sessions, Hearth Room Series, private weddings and retreats), community-supported dining shares that provide working capital, and wholesale distribution through Vermont Wine Merchants and specialty distributors in nine states. Wine club pricing ranges from $30 for a three-bottle vinegar shipment to $145 for a six-bottle assorted wine selection, with members receiving a 10% discount on additional purchases. The business is integrated into the Feast & Field Collective, a cooperative with Kiss The Cow Farm and Eastman Farm, and has earned Good Food Award recognition (2018) alongside press coverage in Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, and Vermont Life.

The company operates with 1-10 employees, is bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding, and serves a diversified customer base spanning consumer enthusiasts, Vermont hospitality businesses (Twin Farms, Hotel Vermont, Hen of the Wood, Shelburne Farms), and 30+ retail stockists. Its addressable market is the natural-wine and craft-cider consumer segment, where differentiation rests on terroir-driven production, living-wine philosophy, and an integrated farm-hospitality experience rather than scale or technology.

Name

Fable Farm Fermentory

Legal name

Fable Farm Fermentory

Website

https://fablefarmfermentory.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fable Farm Fermentory is a Vermont farm-based winery and cidery producing naturally fermented wines, ciders, and barrel-aged vinegars using wild yeasts, sold via tasting room, online shop, wine club (40 states), and wholesale distribution.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Farm Winery & Cidery

NAICS

Wineries (31213), Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (42482)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Wine Production & Winemaking (AFAFAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Wineries & Vineyards (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAE)

Keywords

• Natural wine production
• Craft cider making
• Farm winery
• Barrel-aged vinegar
• Wine club subscription

Headquarters

HQ city

Barnard

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, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Direct Wine & Cider Sales: On-site sales at tasting room (Saturdays 12-6pm) and online wine shop with shipping to 40 states. Products include apple wines, grape wines, pear wines, honey wines, and barrel-aged vinegars.
2. Wine Club Membership: Quarterly subscription shipments (Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice, Fall Equinox, Winter Solstice) with Apple Wines (3 bottles $55, 6 bottles $105), Assorted Wines (3 bottles $75, 6 bottles $145), and Cider Vinegar (3 bottles $30, 6 bottles $55) options. Members receive 10% off additional purchases.
3. Hospitality & Events: Farm-to-table dining experiences including Feast & Field Thursday events, Rumney Sessions, tasting room with pizzas and cheeseboards, private event hosting (weddings, retreats, corporate dinners), and Hearth Room Series six-course dinners with wine pairings.
4. Wholesale Distribution: Products distributed through Vermont Wine Merchants to retail stockists throughout Vermont and beyond (California, Chicago, Maine, New York, Rhode Island, Washington, Oregon, Virginia, D.C.).
5. Community Supported Dining Shares: Prepaid dining tabs for Feast & Field season providing working capital for farm operations in exchange for dining credit throughout summer.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Fable Farm Fermentory produces naturally fermented wines (apple, grape, honey, and pear), barrel-aged cider vinegars, and non-alcoholic herbal elixirs from foraged local fruits and farm-grown botanicals using wild/native yeast fermentation without filtration, pasteurization, or sulfite additions. The company operates a farm tasting room, an online wine shop shipping to 40 states, a quarterly wine club subscription, and public and private hospitality events including its signature Feast & Field farm-to-table dinners. Production, distribution, and hospitality are vertically integrated on a 350-acre farm in Barnard, Vermont, sourcing collaboratively through the Feast & Field Collective of partner farms.

Product overview

Fable Farm Fermentory is a farm-based winery and hospitality collective operating as a single unified offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core portfolio consists of naturally fermented wines and ciders (marketed as 'Cider as Wine'), barrel-aged vinegars, and non-alcoholic elixirs — all produced on the farm using wild yeast fermentation without filtration or sulfite additions. These products are sold through the Wine Shop (direct-to-consumer e-commerce) and Wine Club subscription (quarterly shipments to 40 states). Complementary to production, the business operates public gatherings (Saturday tasting room, Feast & Field Thursdays, Rumney Sessions) and private event hosting (weddings, retreats, farm dinners) featuring farm-to-table cuisine sourced from partner farms in the Feast & Field collective. The wine club also offers vinegar-only and combination selections alongside wine deliveries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Feast & Field: A collective of farms hosting seasonal gatherings, farmers' markets, and farm-to-table dining events. The entity hosts Feast & Field Thursdays and operates as a cooperative of farms.
• Rumney Sessions
• Rumney Barn
• Fable Farm Wine Club

Products and services

• Apple Wines (Cider as Wine) Terroir-driven living apple wines made from foraged apples, wild fermented, unfiltered, and without sulfite additions, with an average alcohol content of 6–7%. Sold through the wine club in 3-bottle ($55) and 6-bottle ($105) selections and at the tasting room and online wine shop.
• Assorted Wines (Grape, Honey/Mead, Pear) Terroir-driven living wines made from apples, grapes, honey, and pears, wild fermented, unfiltered, and without sulfites. Available in 3-bottle ($75) and 6-bottle ($145) wine club selections and via the on-site and online shops.
• Barrel-Aged Cider Vinegar Raw, barrel-aged cider vinegars, some aged for up to five years, with select varieties infused with farm-grown herbs. Available through the wine club in 3-bottle ($30) and 6-bottle ($55) selections and at the tasting room.
• Non-Alcoholic Elixirs Non-alcoholic herbal beverages crafted from fruit, herbs, tree saps, and honey grown and foraged on the farm, as part of the broader living-beverage portfolio.
• Fable Farm Wine Club Subscription Quarterly subscription delivering curated selections of apple wines, assorted wines, or cider vinegars on a Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice, Fall Equinox, and Winter Solstice cadence. Members receive 10% off additional purchases, early access to limited releases, and access to cellar library wines; currently shipping to 40 U.S. states.
• Public Tastings and Feast & Field Events Weekly Saturday tasting room (12–6pm) with curated flights and seasonal menu including pizzas and cheeseboards, plus Feast & Field Thursday events (late May–September) and Rumney Sessions in fall/winter. Built around living wines, ciders, and farm-to-table small bites.
• Private Gatherings and Celebrations Private event hosting for weddings, rehearsal dinners, fundraisers, workshops, retreats, and company dinners in the Rumney Barn, orchard, and Upper Hilltop meadow, with curated farm-to-table dining and Fable Farm wine pairings.
• Farm-to-Table Dining Seasonally inspired cuisine sourced directly from the Feast & Field farmers collective and partner farms. Features pasture-raised meats, organic vegetables, mangalitsa pork, grass-fed beef, heirloom corn polenta, and ingredients prepared fresh, raw, roasted, preserved, and fermented.

Quantifiable outcome

• Shipping to 40 US states through wine club
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.

• Feast & Field CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollective of farms (Fable Farm, Kiss The Cow Farm, Eastman Farm) joined to sustain agricultural-rural economy. Fable provides wines and vinegars; Kiss The Cow provides ice cream; Eastman provides beef and pork. Farms cooperatively steward historic Broad Brook Basin farms.
• Kiss The Cow FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDairy operation on Clark Farm providing milk for ice cream sold at Feast & Field events and contributing to the farm cooperative model.
• Eastman FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeef and pork provider for Feast & Field food offerings; cooperatively stewards historic Broad Brook Basin farmland with Fable Farm.
• The Shepherd's HearthsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerHyper-local, hyper-seasonal, 100% wood-fired mobile open fire kitchen partnering with Fable Farm for Hearth Room Series dinners. Sources from land they're cooking on and pairs with Fable's wines and ciders.
• Vermont Wine MerchantscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary wholesale distributor for Fable Farm products to Vermont retailers and restaurants.
• Percy Selections (CA)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCalifornia distributor for Fable Farm ciders and wines.
• Sensus Wines (Chicago)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChicago-based distributor for Fable Farm products.
• Zev Rovine Selections (NY)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNew York distributor for Fable Farm products.
• Plant Wines (VA/DC)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVirginia and Washington D.C. distributor for Fable Farm products.
• Bowman Road Farm (Joe and Maxine LaDoucer)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrought Fable Farm founders to Barnard; allowed harvesting of apples from their land; foundational partner in establishing the fermentory.
• Flaghill Farm and Winery (Sabra and Sebastian)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided scionwood for most of Fable Farm's grafted trees; fellow Vermont winemakers supporting the agrarian culture.
• Shelburne Orchards (Nick Cowles)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided scionwood for grafted trees; pioneer of Vermont cider culture.
• Farnum Hill Ciders (Steve Wood)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided scionwood for grafted trees; pioneer of Vermont cider culture.
• La Garagista Farm and Winery (Deirdre Heekin and Caleb Barber)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerFellow Barnard winemakers who supported, guided, and inspired Fable Farm founders.
• Thornhill Farm (Todd Hardie)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerDescribed as 'guiding angel' for Fable Farm; veteran farmer and winemaker supporting the operation.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Aaron Burr Cidery: New York natural cidermaker focused on single-orchard, dry, bottle-conditioned ciders from foraged and estate apples — overlapping methodology (wild ferment, no sulfites) and DTC-focused go-to-market comparable to Fable Farm's wine-club-led model.
• La Garagista Farm and Winery: Barnard, Vermont-based natural winemaker working with hybrid grapes and low-intervention methods on the same terroir — an immediate geographic neighbor explicitly identified in Fable's founding story as a mentor and inspiration, making it a near-perfect operational and philosophical peer.
• Shelburne Orchards: Vermont cidery and orchard producing hard ciders from estate-grown apples with an on-site farm store — comparable Vermont natural-cider producer and named Fable Farm supplier/mentor partner (scionwood for grafted trees).
• Eve's Cidery: Finger Lakes (NY) natural cidermaker producing dry, terroir-driven, bottle-conditioned ciders from heirloom apples with native yeasts and minimal intervention — the closest peer in production philosophy, scale, and direct-to-consumer natural cider positioning.
• Farnum Hill Ciders: New Hampshire-based producer of traditional, dry, bottle-conditioned hard ciders from bittersweet and bittersharp apple varieties — a direct methodological and stylistic peer to Fable Farm's 'Cider as Wine' approach, and explicitly cited as a pioneer mentor for Fable's founders.

Regional players

• Stem Ciders: Denver, Colorado-based craft cidery producing dry, barrel-aged, food-friendly ciders with a taproom and DTC focus — comparable craft-natural cider positioning and hospitality-led business model in a different US geography.
• Tieton Cider Works: Yakima Valley, Washington craft cidery producing estate-grown, single-orchard ciders with a tasting room — a regional craft-natural cider peer on the West Coast with comparable farm-to-bottle vertical integration.

Emerging players

• Wild Arc Farm: Hudson Valley, NY small-batch natural winemaker producing low-intervention, native-yeast wines from foraged and estate fruit — an emerging natural-wine peer with overlapping production philosophy, though smaller scale and earlier stage than Fable Farm.

Broad incumbents

• Angry Orchard: Boston Beer Company-owned national craft hard cider brand — a broad incumbent in the same end-category with vastly larger production, distribution, and marketing budgets that sets the mainstream price-and-volume context against which small craft producers like Fable Farm compete for shelf and tap handles.
• Vermont Cider Company: Vermont-based producer of Woodchuck Hard Cider, one of the largest US craft cider brands — the dominant regional incumbent in the home state that defines price and shelf expectations for Vermont cider at retail scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/fablefarmfermentory

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 Fable Farm Fermentory