Doc Waters Cidery
Doc Waters Cidery is a privately held, family-owned craft cidery in Germantown, Maryland that produces estate-grown ciders from over 30 apple varieties for direct-to-consumer sales, pick-your-own visitors, and educational field trips.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersGermantown, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Doc Waters Cidery does
Doc Waters Cidery is a privately held, family-owned craft cidery headquartered in Germantown, Maryland. Founded in 2018 as an expansion of the Waters Orchard pick-your-own apple operation, it became the first cidery in Montgomery County, MD. Ownership transferred in 2021 to the founding couple's niece and nephews (Hallie, Tyler, and Ben Butler). The company operates entirely from a single estate location comprising the cidery tasting room at 22529 Wildcat Rd and a separate pick-your-own orchard at 22711 Wildcat Rd.
The cidery's product core is estate-grown craft cider made from an on-site orchard of over 30 apple varieties, including rare and heirloom cultivars such as Harrison and Redfield, plus a 100-year-old pear tree used for Perry. Production techniques span carbonated and still ciders, French oak and Kentucky bourbon barrel aging (4–10 months), and dry-hopping with Citra, Nelson-Sauvin, Mosaic, Chinook, and Krush hops. The portfolio is organized into flagship, favorites, single-varietal, seasonal (co-fermented with fruit from partner Butler's Orchard), and specialty SKUs, with typically 8 ciders on draft plus bottles, cans, and growlers. There is no third-party retail or wholesale distribution.
The business model is direct-to-consumer and experiential, monetizing through on-site cider sales, per-pound pick-your-own apples, $10/head educational field trips (20-person minimum), fire pit and igloo reservations, gift cards via Square, and a Cider Club membership subscription. Marketing is primarily local: Facebook and Instagram, the company website, food trucks, live music, trivia nights, and participation in the Montgomery Co. Farm Tour. Customers are local families, schools and daycares, and craft beverage enthusiasts across the beer/wine spectrum. Headcount is six employees.
Doc Waters Cidery firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Doc Waters Cidery
- Legal name
- Doc Waters Cidery
- Website
- https://docwaterscidery.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Doc Waters Cidery is a privately held, family-owned craft cidery in Germantown, Maryland that produces estate-grown ciders from over 30 apple varieties for direct-to-consumer sales, pick-your-own visitors, and educational field trips.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Doc Waters Cidery industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Craft Cider Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Wineries (312130), Apple Orchards (111331), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (72241)
- SIC
- Beverages (2080)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cider & Perry Production (AFAFAAAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Cideries & Meadery Tasting Rooms (THAFALAI), Cider & Orchard Fruit Production (Apples/pears for cider & processing) (AFAGACAJ), Cider & Perry Producers & Brands (CRADAIAE)
Keywords
Where Doc Waters Cidery is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Germantown
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Doc Waters Cidery business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Cider Sales: Direct sales of craft ciders including bottles, cans, draft, and growlers at the cidery. Typically 8 ciders on draft plus bottles and cans available. Subscription through Cider Club membership.
- Apple Picking: Pick-your-own apple operations open Saturdays-Sundays 9am-5pm. Customers pay per pound/bushel for apples picked from the orchard.
- Field Trips: School and group field trips during September-October at $10 per participant with minimum 20 people. Includes apple picking and orchard education.
- Experiential Reservations: Revenue from fire pit reservations, igloo reservations, private party spaces, and specialty tastings at the cidery.
- Gift Cards: Gift cards sold through Square for cider, apples, and cidery experiences.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Field Trip - $10 per participant |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Cider Products - Various price points |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Apple Picking - Per pound pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Doc Waters Cidery product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Doc Waters Cidery produces and sells craft hard ciders from apples grown in its on-site orchard in Germantown, Maryland. The product line spans flagship blends, single-varietal ciders, seasonal fruit co-ferments, barrel-aged and dry-hopped specialty ciders, and perry, available by bottle, can, draft, and growler at its on-site cidery. The business also sells pick-your-own apples at The Orchard, hosts paid school/corporate field trips, and offers reservation-based cidery experiences (fire pits, igloos, private parties, specialty tastings) along with a Cider Club subscription membership.
Product overview
Doc Waters Cidery is an estate cidery producing craft ciders from apples grown on-site at their Montgomery County, MD orchard. The product portfolio centers on a rotating selection of 8+ craft ciders on draft, organized into four tiers: Flagship (Orchard Blend), Favorites (Hopped, Sweet Mac, Oak Aged, Wildcat Woods Reserve, Sweet Tart Cherry), Single Varietal (Pink Lady, Golden Russet, Redfield, GoldRush, Harrison), and Specialty (Lady Kay Perry, Bourbon Barrel Aged, Double Hopped, Blacksmith, Hopped Experimental), plus Seasonal ciders co-fermented with local fruits from Butler's Orchard. Ciders are available by bottle, can, draft, and growler. Beyond cider products, the company offers visitor experiences including cidery tastings, apple picking, educational field trips, specialty tastings, and fire pit reservations. The cidery operates as a destination venue with food trucks, live music, trivia events, and a Cider Club membership subscription program.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- The Orchard at Doc Waters Cidery: The apple orchard location at 22711 Wildcat Rd. for pick-your-own apple operations and field trips.
Products and services
- Flagship and Core Craft Ciders Carbonated off-dry to dry ciders (Orchard Blend, Hopped, Sweet Mac, Oak Aged, Wildcat Woods Reserve, Sweet Tart Cherry) covering the everyday cider selection typically available on draft and packaged for on-site purchase.
- Single Varietal Craft Ciders Ciders made from one apple variety each (Pink Lady, Golden Russet, Redfield, GoldRush, Harrison), showcasing individual apple character; includes the rare Harrison variety (previously thought extinct) and Redfield.
- Seasonal Co-Fermented Ciders
- Specialty and Barrel-Aged Ciders
- Pick Your Own Apples Customer pick-your-own apple experience at The Orchard (22711 Wildcat Rd, Germantown, MD), open Saturdays–Sundays 9am–5pm during season, with over 30 apple varieties and a seasonal availability calendar.
- Apple Picking Field Trips Educational group field trips at The Orchard for schools, daycares, homeschool co-ops, and corporate groups, including a 1/4 peck bag of apples per participant, orchard-based learning, and access to the picnic area; $10 per participant, 20-person minimum, full credit-card prepayment required to reserve.
- Cidery Visits and Reservations On-site cidery visits at 22529 Wildcat Rd., Germantown, MD, with reservations for igloos, fire pits, private party spaces, and specialty tastings; first-come picnic tables also available; entirely outdoor facility.
- Cider Club Membership
Quantifiable outcome
- First cidery in Montgomery County, MD - established market presence
Companies that use Doc Waters Cidery
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Doc Waters Cidery technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Doc Waters Cidery partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Butler's OrchardcoreLocal fruit farm that provides fresh fruits (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, tart cherries, strawberries) for co-fermentation in seasonal ciders. Collaboration includes Butler's Berry Blend cider combining Butler's fruits with Doc Waters cider. Trips scheduled Sept 1-11 can include visits to Butler's Orchard Farm Park.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Doc Waters Cidery competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Woodchuck Hard Cider: Vermont-based national craft cider brand with broad retail distribution and a deep product line. Comparable as an established category incumbent competing for the same craft cider consumer.
- Angry Orchard: National craft hard cider brand owned by Boston Beer Company, with innovation ciders and taprooms. Comparable as the dominant scaled incumbent in the same product category Doc Waters competes in.
Direct peers
- Stem Ciders: Denver, CO craft cidery combining a production facility and tasting room in a destination format. Comparable to Doc Waters through its cider-forward taproom and barrel- and hop-driven product range.
- Virtue Cider: Michigan craft cidery focused on heritage and European-style cider apples with a farm cidery model. Comparable to Doc Waters through estate sourcing, barrel-aged products, and a destination tasting experience.
- Austin Eastciders: Austin, TX craft cidery with a tasting room and growing DTC and regional distribution. Comparable to Doc Waters as a craft cidery using varied apple inputs to drive a broad cider portfolio.
- Bold Rock Hard Cider: Nellysford, VA-based craft cidery with a flagship tasting room and broad DTC and wholesale presence. Comparable to Doc Waters as a Mid-Atlantic craft cidery peer with a taproom-led model, though at materially larger scale.
- Tieton Cider Works: Yakima, WA estate cidery producing craft ciders from its own apple orchards. Highly comparable to Doc Waters because both are orchard-to-glass operators emphasizing single-varietal and barrel-aged cider expressions.
- 2 Towns Ciderhouse: Corvallis, OR craft cidery producing a broad portfolio of innovative ciders (hopped, barrel-aged, fruited) with a taproom and national distribution. Closely comparable to Doc Waters on product innovation and SKU breadth.
Regional players
- Commonwealth Ciders: Ashland, VA craft cidery operating primarily in the Virginia market. Comparable to Doc Waters as a smaller Mid-Atlantic/Southeast craft cidery peer with a taproom-led model.
Others
- Butler's Orchard: Germantown, MD pick-your-own farm and Doc Waters' documented partner. Comparable as an agritourism and fruit-sourcing neighbor, but it is a partner rather than a direct competitor.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Doc Waters Cidery social profiles
Digital presenceDoc Waters Cidery financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Doc Waters Cidery leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Doc Waters Cidery funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Doc Waters Cidery M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Doc Waters Cidery
What does Doc Waters Cidery do?
Doc Waters Cidery produces and sells craft hard ciders from apples grown in its on-site orchard in Germantown, Maryland. The product line spans flagship blends, single-varietal ciders, seasonal fruit co-ferments, barrel-aged and dry-hopped specialty ciders, and perry, available by bottle, can, draft, and growler at its on-site cidery. The business also sells pick-your-own apples at The Orchard, hosts paid school/corporate field trips, and offers reservation-based cidery experiences (fire pits, igloos, private parties, specialty tastings) along with a Cider Club subscription membership.
Is Doc Waters Cidery a public or private company?
Doc Waters Cidery is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Doc Waters Cidery founded?
Doc Waters Cidery was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Doc Waters Cidery based?
Doc Waters Cidery is headquartered in Germantown, United States, in the North America region.
How does Doc Waters Cidery make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Cider Sales are the primary driver. The others are apple Picking, field Trips, experiential Reservations and gift Cards.
Who are Doc Waters Cidery's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Woodchuck Hard Cider and Angry Orchard. Direct peers are Stem Ciders, Virtue Cider, Austin Eastciders, Bold Rock Hard Cider, Tieton Cider Works and 2 Towns Ciderhouse. Commonwealth Ciders is listed as a regional player. Butler's Orchard is listed as an others.
Does Doc Waters Cidery have an API?
No public API is recorded for Doc Waters Cidery.
What industry is Doc Waters Cidery in?
Doc Waters Cidery's product category is Craft Cider Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAFAAAD, Cider & Perry Production, with a secondary code of THAFALAI, Cideries & Meadery Tasting Rooms. Its NAICS code is 312130 and its SIC code is 2080.