Western Cider Company Llc

What Western Cider Company Llc does

Western Cider Company LLC is a craft hard cidery headquartered in Missoula, Montana, founded in 2015 with orchard roots dating to 2010. The company produces small-batch hard ciders using apples grown primarily on its own 10-acre heirloom Billingsley Cider Orchard, which houses more than 50 heirloom apple varieties — a positioning the company describes as unique among Montana cidermakers. Head Cidermaker Eli Shanks leads production, bringing international cidermaking experience to the operation.

The core product line includes flagship and seasonal ciders such as Whiskey Peach, Stampede series releases, and single-varietal ciders including Hewe's Single Variety 2023, all derived from orchard-grown fruit and supplemented where appropriate by hops sourced from Glacier Hops Ranch. Beyond the cider itself, the company operates a Missoula taproom, an online cider shop with shipping, venue rental for private events, and community programs such as the Grateful Glass empty-bottle credit initiative and partnership events with the Great Bear Foundation.

Western Cider's revenue model combines direct-to-consumer taproom sales, e-commerce via its online shop, and retail distribution across approximately five Montana cities. The company has no disclosed enterprise customers, national wholesale contracts, or out-of-state distributor relationships in the evidence base, and operates with a headcount in the 1-10 range. Brand-building has been supported by 2017 recognition at the Portland International Cider Cup (Best New Cidery, Best in Show) and ongoing community partnerships, rather than by disclosed funding events or large marketing budgets.

Name

Western Cider Company Llc

Legal name

Western Cider Company LLC

Website

https://www.westerncider.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Western Cider Company LLC is a Missoula, Montana craft hard cidery that produces small-batch ciders from its own 10-acre heirloom apple orchard and sells them through a taproom, online shop, and Montana retail accounts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hard Cider

NAICS

Wineries (312130), Apple Orchards (111331), 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

• Hard cider production
• Craft cidermaking
• Apple orchard operations
• Taproom beverage service
• Bottled beverage distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Missoula

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Taproom / On-Premise Sales: Direct sales of cider by the flight, pint, glass, bottle, can, and growler at the tasting room at 501 N. California St., Missoula, MT. The tasting room offers 12 rotating ciders on tap, all made in-house. The riverside cider garden and event spaces drive foot traffic and repeat visits.
2. Off-Premise / Packaged Goods: Canned and bottled cider sold through retail grocery stores throughout Montana markets (Missoula, Butte, Kalispell, Whitefish, Bozeman). Flagship 'Poor Farmer' cider available in cans. Specialty flavors in bottles. Growlers filled to-go at the tasting room.
3. Venue Rental / Private Events: The tasting room and cider garden are rented out for private events including weddings, rehearsal dinners, company parties, graduations, and birthdays. The venue features multiple spaces (main tasting room, gallery room, back patio with awning, riverside cider garden).
4. Food Sales: Seasonally curated charcuterie boards, cheese boards, and bar snacks sold at the tasting room. Rotating food trucks operate May through October. Non-alcoholic beverages including Martinelli's Sparkling Cider, sparkling water, Athletic Brewing Company NA beer, and Back to Mother Kombucha are also available.
5. Merchandise: Branded merchandise sold online and at the tasting room including snapback hats ($30), dad caps ($25), trucker hats ($25), t-shirts ($25), hoodies ($45), cropped fleece sweatshirts ($50), cuffed beanies ($25), and pint glasses ($10).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Western Cider Company LLC produces and sells craft hard cider made from heirloom cider apple varieties grown at its own Billingsley Cider Orchard in Stevensville, Montana, and from Northwest apples. The company operates a taproom on the Clark Fork River in Missoula with 12 rotating ciders on tap, distributes canned and bottled ciders through retail grocery stores across five Montana markets, and runs ancillary offerings including branded merchandise, food service, and private event venue rentals.

Product overview

Western Cider Company is a cider production company offering a portfolio of hard ciders ranging from easy-going session ciders to traditional and experimental varieties. The core product lineup includes flagship ciders like Poor Farmer and seasonal/limited releases such as Whiskey Peach, Sour Cherry, and various single-varietal estate ciders. The company operates a tasting room in Missoula, Montana with 12 rotating ciders on tap, sells merchandise (hats, apparel, glassware), and offers food menus alongside cider flights. The company also provides event venue rentals for private functions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Poor Farmer: Flagship easy going hard cider crafted from fresh-pressed Northwest apples.
• Great Bear

Products and services

• Farmhouse Cider True Farmhouse-style cider made from a blend of apples from the company's orchard; dry with medium body and medium tannin; 7.4% ABV.
• Wickson Single Variety Cider Single-varietal cider from Wickson crab apple; sweet with acid balance and floral perfume; 8.0% ABV.
• Stampede Small-Batch Ciders Small-batch experimental cider series including Guava and Hibiscus Lime variants; 9% ABV.
• Hewe's Single Variety Cider 100% Hewe's Virginia Crab from the 2023 harvest, fermented and aged in stainless for 2 years; 11% ABV.
• Bittersweet Farm Cider Hand-harvested unfiltered field blend made from Bedan, Harrison, Kingston Black, and Harry Masters Jersey cultivars from the Montana orchard; 9.1% ABV.
• Poor Farmer Hard Cider Flagship easy-going hard cider crafted from fresh-pressed Northwest apples, sold in cans throughout Montana markets.
• El Dorado Hopped Cider Hopped cider featuring El Dorado hops steam-distilled at Glacier Hops Ranch in Whitefish, MT, blended with fresh-pressed Northwest apples, with notes of pineapple, honeydew, fir pitch, candied lemon peel, kiwi, and starfruit.
• Sour Cherry Cider Tart cherries and Washington apples co-fermented into a copper-colored cider with notes of cinnamon, clove, jammy red fruits and a mouthwatering finish.
• Whiskey Peach Cider Washington apples and peaches aged in white oak whiskey barrels with notes of vanilla, dried apricots, and caramel flan; 10% ABV.
• Ranch Hand Cider Bold and refreshing cider made with fresh-pressed Northwest apples; a session-style offering.
• McIntosh Single Varietal Cider Single-varietal cider using heirloom McIntosh apples from eighty-year-old trees in Montana's historic Bitterroot Valley; Portland International Cider Cup Gold Medal winner.
• Fat Robin Cherry Cider Sessionable cider made with Flathead cherries from Fat Robin Orchard and the Flathead Lake Cherry Growers Association combined with Northwest apples.
• Dry & Dandy Cider Blend of cider apples from the company's own orchard with good acid, rich and bright with a fine pet-nat style bubble; 9.3% ABV.
• Tasting Room Experience Taproom on the banks of the Clark Fork River in Missoula offering 12 rotating ciders on tap, all made in-house, with flights, pints, bottles, cans, and growlers served in a riverside cider garden.
• Private Event Venue Rental Rental of the tasting room, gallery room, back patio with awning, and riverside cider garden for private events including weddings, rehearsal dinners, company parties, graduations, and birthdays.
• Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverage Service Seasonally curated charcuterie boards, cheese boards, and bar snacks sold at the tasting room, rotating food trucks (May through October), and non-alcoholic beverages including Athletic Brewing NA beer and Back to Mother Kombucha.
• Western Cider Branded Merchandise Branded merchandise including snapback hats ($30), dad caps ($25), trucker hats ($25), t-shirts ($25), pullover hoodies ($45), cropped fleece sweatshirts ($50), cuffed beanies ($25), and tumbler pint glasses ($10) sold online and at the tasting room.

Quantifiable outcome

• Best New Cidery and Best in Show (McIntosh) at Portland International Cider Cup out of 170 ciders, June 2017

Segments3 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

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Great Bear FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2017Western Cider partnered with the Great Bear Foundation's 'Bears and Apples' program to collect Missoula's backyard apple bounty. Apples from community harvests were used to produce the 'Great Bear Community Cider' and 10% of proceeds were donated back to the foundation. Community members could bring 40+ lbs of apples in exchange for $5 tasting room certificates.
• Cider CultureminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 April 2017Cider Culture, an online cider publication, has covered Western Cider Company multiple times, including a feature article titled 'Western Cider Company Opens in Missoula, Montana' (April 2017) and 'Get to Know Western Cider in Missoula, Montana' (January 2018).
• Glacier Hops RanchcoreTechnology or IntegrationGlacier Hops Ranch in Whitefish, Montana steam-distills El Dorado hops into a pure essential oil used in Western Cider's El Dorado hopped cider. Fresh hops are harvested and immediately steam-distilled to capture the unique hop character for the cider.
• Athletic Brewing CompanyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAthletic Brewing Company's non-alcoholic Golden Ale is served blended with Western Cider's El Dorado cider as 'Big Half Beer' (3.3% ABV), a cold 22 oz. big-rig frosty mug served with or without a lime twist.
• Fat Robin Orchard / Flathead Lake Cherry Growers AssociationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWestern Cider sources Flathead cherries from Fat Robin Orchard and the Flathead Lake Cherry Growers Association on Finley Point to produce the Fat Robin cider, a sessionable cider combining Montana's famous cherries with Northwest apples.
• Heritage Orchard Project (Montana State University)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeritage Orchard Project, a group through Montana State University, assessed trees at the historic Moon-Randolph orchard and conducted genetic testing to identify heirloom apple varieties for preservation and propagation.
• Moon-Randolph Orchard / HomesteadminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWestern Cider sourced apples from the historic Moon-Randolph orchard's 2017 harvest (~1,000 lbs) to make a hard cider that turned the first profit for the orchard in more than half a century. Co-founder Matthew LaRubbio started the annual 'Prune the Moon' volunteer event to restore the orchard's 130-year-old trees.
• Roger JoyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoger Joy, described as an 'apple tree legend' in the Bitterroot, helped graft and grow new trees for the Moon-Randolph Orchard from scion wood collected from historic trees, preserving the genetic legacy of Montana's apple-growing past.
• Youth HomesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWestern Cider's 'Grateful Glass' program donates $1 from every glass sold on every Tuesday of each month to Youth Homes, a local organization supporting youth in crisis in Missoula. The program runs year-round on rotating months.
• Bedrock SandalsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWestern Cider collaborated with fellow Montana company Bedrock Sandals to craft a small-batch 'Bedrock Mountain Cider' made with wild spruce tips and elderberry. The collaboration was celebrated at a joint cider release party with live music from The Skurfs.
• Take It Or Leave It (Farm)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTake It Or Leave It is a farm north of Missoula that grows, butchers, and prepares ingredients directly. They supply rotating food trucks at Western Cider's taproom patio from May to October.
• Grist Hearth BreadminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGrist Hearth Bread supplies bread for Western Cider's charcuterie and cheese boards sold at the tasting room.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tieton Cider & Wine: Family-owned craft cidery in Washington's Yakima Valley operating its own orchards and a tasting room. Directly comparable to Western Cider as an estate-grown craft cidery with on-site hospitality and retail distribution.
• 2 Towns Ciderhouse: Oregon-based craft cidery producing a wide portfolio of traditional and modern ciders with regional distribution across the Pacific Northwest. Comparable as a craft cider producer with broad retail and taproom presence.
• Schilling Cider: Pacific Northwest craft cidery with a taproom and extensive distribution network. Comparable to Western Cider as a craft cider producer combining taproom experience with retail packaged goods.
• Seattle Cider Company: Seattle-based craft cider producer with multiple taproom locations and broad Pacific Northwest distribution. Comparable to Western Cider in product category, regional market, and hospitality-driven model.
• Portland Cider Company: Oregon craft cidery operating taprooms and a portfolio of traditional and experimental ciders. Directly comparable to Western Cider in craft cider production, taproom hospitality, and regional distribution.
• Stem Ciders: Colorado craft cidery operating a flagship taproom and cider garden in Denver with traditional and experimental ciders. Highly comparable to Western Cider as a craft cidery combining taproom hospitality with premium artisan cider production.

Broad incumbents

• Bold Rock Hard Cider: One of the largest independently-owned hard cider producers in the US, with operations in Virginia and North Carolina and a taproom-based hospitality model. Comparable as a larger craft cider incumbent with estate positioning and broad retail distribution.
• Angry Orchard Hard Cider: Boston Beer Company's national hard cider brand, the largest cider brand in the US. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the hard cider category competing for the same shelf space and consumer occasions.

Regional players

• Sonoma Cider: California-based craft cidery focused on craft, traditionally-styled ciders with Pacific Coast distribution. Compares to Western Cider in craft cider production with a regional (rather than national) footprint.
• Mt. Begbie Brewing Company: Small craft brewery in British Columbia operating a taproom and regional distribution. Comparable to Western Cider as a small, community-anchored craft beverage producer with a taproom and regional retail footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/westerncider
• Instagraminstagram.com/westerncider
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/western-cider

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Western Cider Company Llc