Mostly, orchard preservation still gets framed as a values-driven initiative. It can sometimes be something adjacent to the business rather than embedded in it. But some cideries are leaning into long-term success and are increasingly treating it as the business model itself: a supply strategy, a brand position, and a hedge against agricultural volatility all at once.
That shift begins with reframing what “investment” actually means in an orchard system.
“Start with relationships, not marketing,” said Bob Manley of Hermit Woods Winery & Eatery. “Work closely with orchardists. Understand the economics and challenges of growing traditional apples. Commit for the long term. Preservation only works if it’s economically viable for the grower.”
Manley’s point cuts against a common impulse to build orchard narratives after the fact and once a cider is already in the glass. Instead, he argues the durability of any preservation effort depends on whether growers can realistically survive inside it. Without that, even well-intentioned programs collapse under economic pressure. That long-term framing is echoed by others who have approached orchards as both cultural assets and financial instruments.
Ben Wenk of Ploughman Cider said the economic logic of preservation is often misunderstood, particularly around land value.
“Your property, in my estimation, will have MORE value as a preserved farm that can’t be developed commercially than it would otherwise,” he said. “There’s nothing about limiting who could purchase your orchard that makes it less valuable.”
Wenk pushed further into the idea that preservation narrows opportunity. In his view, it can actually sharpen it.
“The value of your orchard is worth $1 more than the second most motivated buyer is willing to pay,” he said, adding that scarcity of compatible buyers — not preservation status — drives value. “All you need is two interested buyers to maximize the price your orchard can fetch.”
For cideries weighing expansion, that reframes preservation not as restraint, but as positioning.
Still, even when the economics pencil out, execution remains the hardest part. Richard Yi of Brooklyn Cider House cautions against scaling orchard ambitions faster than the business can absorb them.
“Start slow,” Yi said. “The last thing you want is to invest in something that isn’t sustainable for your business. Everything takes more time and money than you expect.”
Yi pointed to the risks of rapid expansion, including his own experience moving quickly into large-scale orchard ownership. “We moved very quickly by purchasing and renovating a 200-acre farm, and I would advise others to think carefully before making a leap like that,” he said.
Instead, he emphasized incremental experimentation and regional learning. “Don’t plant more than you can realistically use,” Yi said. “Visit cideries in your area with similar soil and microclimates to see what varieties have worked well for them.”
He also noted that diversification is not just a production strategy but a survival mechanism. “Avoid putting all your eggs in one basket,” he said. “Plant or graft a few varieties at a time, because what works for one orchard might not work for another.”
Where Yi focuses on pacing and Wenk focuses on structure, Manley returns to education as the stabilizing force behind the entire system.
“Most consumers don’t know the difference between a dessert apple and a true cider apple,” Manley said. “Bring them along. Tastings, tours, labeling, storytelling… all of it matters.”
That education piece is not just about product literacy, he added, but about creating a market that understands why preservation matters in the first place. Without it, orchards risk becoming invisible inputs rather than valued ecosystems.
Laura Prendergast, Marketing Director for Finnriver, expands that idea outward by arguing that orchards survive when they become places people actively participate in, not just sources of fruit.
“Build a community around the orchard, not just the product,” she said. “Orchard preservation is long-term, place-based work, and it requires people who understand and value why it matters.”
For Prendergast, engagement is not a marketing tactic but a form of infrastructure.
“Creating opportunities for direct engagement, whether through orchard tours, tastings, or cider club events, these experiences help bridge that gap,” she said. “When customers can taste the difference, hear the stories, and see the orchards themselves, they fall in love with the land.”
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She also added that consistency and scale should always be the goal.
“Not every cider needs to scale and not every harvest is abundant,” Prendergast said. “It’s real agriculture, and it helps people understand both the challenges and the beauty of working with the land.”
Across all four perspectives show that orchard preservation only works when businesses accept that variability is part of the product, not a flaw in the system. Manley returns to that point in a different form, framing preservation as a commitment that cannot be rushed.
“Be patient,” he said. “Orchard preservation is not a quick-return strategy. Trees take years. But if you believe cider should reflect land, history, and biodiversity, then preserving orchards isn’t a marketing angle, it’s the foundation.”
Prendergast reinforces that patience with a cultural lens.
“If you can connect people to the land through cider, you’re not just preserving heirloom orchards,” she said. “You’re cultivating a community that will help sustain them.”
