South Hill Cider

What South Hill Cider does

South Hill Cider is a privately held craft cidery founded in 2003 by Steve Selin in Ithaca, New York, operating from a farm four miles from downtown Ithaca near Buttermilk Falls State Park with views across the Cayuga Lake Valley. The company produces approximately nine ciders annually from hand-foraged wild apples, abandoned orchard apples, and heirloom varieties (including Dabinett, Chisel Jersey, Tremlett's Bitter, Redfield, Irish Russet, and Golden Russet), using wild fermentation without added yeast alongside oak barrel and steel tank aging. Its portfolio spans still and sparkling ciders (String Theory p\u00e9t-nat, Packbasket, Pomme Sur Lie, Soundpost, Stone Fence Farm, Harvest Cans), plus Pommeau apple brandy liqueur and Ice Cider.

The business operates a hybrid revenue model combining an on-premise tasting room open Thursday through Monday year-round with guided tastings at $29 (Classic) and $36 (Premium) tiers and a farm-to-table food menu, a Cider Club subscription for limited releases and member events, direct-to-consumer e-commerce shipping to approved states, wholesale distribution through Coeur Wine Co. (NYC), Lime Ventures (California), Craft Collective (Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island), and direct wholesale handled by founder Steve Selin for Upstate NY, plus ancillary revenue from on-site camping via Tentrr and Hipcamp, and private/music events. The company is founder-owned with no institutional investment, employs a small team in the 11-50 range with seasonal hiring for 2026, and serves three primary personas: wine and cider enthusiasts seeking terroir-driven craft experiences, outdoor enthusiasts drawn to the Finger Lakes location, and food-focused diners seeking farm-to-table pairings.

Name

South Hill Cider

Legal name

South Hill Cider LLC

Website

https://southhillcider.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

South Hill Cider is a founder-owned Finger Lakes craft cidery that produces small-batch wild-fermented and heirloom apple ciders from its Ithaca farm, selling through a tasting room, cider club subscription, DTC e-commerce, and regional wholesale partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Hard Cider

NAICS

Apple Orchards (111331), Wineries (312130)

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

• Craft hard cider
• Wild apple cider
• Heirloom cider
• Farm cidery
• Finger Lakes cider

Headquarters

HQ city

Ithaca

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tasting Room Sales: Direct sales of cider by the glass, flights, and bottles at the farm cidery in Ithaca. Includes guided tastings with food pairings.
2. Direct-to-Consumer Online Sales: Online store shipping cases nationwide to consumers in approved states.
3. Wholesale Distribution: Cases sold to distributors and retailers through wholesale partners in NY, NJ, PA, CA, MA, ME, RI.
4. Food Service: Farm-to-table food menu including house-smoked meats, sandwiches, vegetarian and gluten-free options served at tasting room.
5. Cider Club Membership: Subscription membership offering exclusive access to limited releases, discounts, and member-only events.
6. Camping Revenue: Primitive camping sites on property booked through Tentrr and Hipcamp platforms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

South Hill Cider is a Finger Lakes farm cidery that produces small-batch craft ciders from hand-foraged wild apples, abandoned orchard apples, and heirloom apple varieties using wild fermentation, oak barrel aging, and lees-aging techniques. The business sells ciders directly to consumers through its on-site tasting room in Ithaca, NY and a nationwide online store, and distributes wholesale through regional partners across the US.

Product overview

South Hill Cider is a Finger Lakes cidery producing small-batch heirloom ciders from hand-foraged wild apples, abandoned orchards, and heirloom varieties. The core product portfolio includes still and sparkling ciders such as String Theory (pét-nat), Packbasket (wild apple), Pomme Sur Lie (lees-aged), Soundpost, and Pommeau (apple brandy). The business operates a tasting room offering guided tastings (Classic $29, Premium $36 tiers) alongside a farm-to-table food menu, and supplements this with a Cider Club subscription, wholesale distribution, camping accommodations, and private event hosting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• String Theory A naturally fermented pét-nat cider made with Dabinett, Chisel Jersey, and Tremlett's Bitter apple varieties, featuring a bubbly finish and juicy mouthfeel. Sold at $19 per bottle.
• Packbasket Still A bone-dry still cider made entirely from hand-gathered wild seedling apples, described as complex and wine-like. Produced only every 2-3 years due to wild apple availability.
• Pomme Sur Lie A cider aged nine months on its lees, described as elegant with richness and light tannins, suitable as a dinner cider pairing with pork roast, Coq au Vin, or Filet Mignon.
• Soundpost Cider A cider noted for crispness, minerality, and richness made from bittersweet apples with oak aging.
• Stone Fence Farm A cider described as elegant with richness and light tannins, made from a single orchard.
• Pommeau An apple brandy liqueur aged for many years, featuring hints of clove and sweet butterscotch, best served as an apéritif.
• Ice Cider A sweet dessert-style cider made from frozen apples, concentrating sugars and flavors.
• Wild Fermented Ciders Ciders made without added yeast using naturally occurring yeast on fruit skin for fermentation, producing complex flavors. Includes Porter's Perfection and Farmhouse varieties.
• Harvest Cans Cider available in canned format, part of the no-added-sulfites lineup.
• Guided Tastings A five-cider tasting experience paired with house-made food, with storytelling about each cider. Offered in two tiers: Classic ($29/person) with flagship ciders, and Premium ($36/person) with rare small-batch ciders.
• Cider Club Membership A subscription membership offering exclusive access to limited releases, member discounts, early access to new vintages, and member-only events.

Quantifiable outcome

• Packbasket (wild apple cider) made only every 2-3 years due to nature of wild apple sourcing
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Coeur Wine Co.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWholesale distributor for NYC market. Handles new account inquiries and ongoing orders for South Hill Cider products in the New York metro area.
• Lime VenturescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWholesale distributor for California market. Manages distribution and orders for South Hill Cider on the West Coast.
• Craft CollectiveminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional distributor covering Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island markets.
• Steve SelincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOwner, orchardist, and cidermaker Steve Selin handles wholesale inquiries for Upstate NY and all other areas, as well as direct orders at [email protected].
• Civil EatsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured in December 2020 article on cider makers and climate resilience, highlighting wild apple foraging practices.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Eve's Cidery: Finger Lakes heirloom and wild-fermented cidery also sourcing from local orchards and using minimal-intervention fermentation. Direct overlap with South Hill on geography, technique, and customer (wine-curious craft drinkers).
• Schilling Cider: Pacific Northwest craft cidery pushing dry, Champagne-method ciders with strong hospitality/wholesale mix. Comparable on craft-to-premium positioning and barrel-aging focus.
• Stem Ciders: Denver-based craft cidery focused on bone-dry, terroir-driven cider with a taproom-led model. Comparable on craft positioning, hospitality-first GTM, and anti-sweet-cider stance.
• Farnum Hill Ciders: New Hampshire estate cidery renowned for bittersweet and bittersharp heirloom apple ciders with a wine-like profile. Closest U.S. analogue to South Hill's heirloom/single-orchard philosophy.
• Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider: Sparkling, naturally fermented cider producer in New York's Hudson Valley. Closely comparable on wild/natural fermentation, premium DTC positioning, and food-pairing focus.
• Graft Cider: New York craft cidery producing dry, farm-focused ciders in Catskill/southern New York. Comparable as another NY-based craft cidery pursuing a wine-adjacent profile.
• Treasury Cider: Single-orchard, heritage-varietal estate cidery with a cider-centric tasting room. Mirrors South Hill's heritage apple sourcing and cider-club/Subscription monetization.

Broad incumbents

• Woodchuck Cider: Established national hard cider brand across multiple styles and price points. Relevant incumbent comparison for distribution scale and category-level dynamics.
• Angry Orchard: Largest U.S. hard cider brand by volume with broad portfolio across sweet-to-dry styles. Relevant incumbent showing the ceiling of cider demand and the strategic context South Hill operates against.
• Bell's Brewery: Large Midwestern craft brewery operator that has also produced craft cider lines. Adjacent incumbent illustrating how a broader beverage portfolio can extend into the cider category South Hill specializes in.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/southhillcider
• Facebookfacebook.com/SouthHillCider
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/south-hill-cider

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 South Hill Cider