We are two Scots who moved to a tiny island in Atlantic Canada and discovered that no one was making traditional UK ciders. We decided that needed to change.
Welcome to the highlands of the Island. We are Anne and Alex Jamieson, the owners and operators of Riverdale Orchard and Cidery. When we moved from Scotland to Prince Edward Island in 2014, we had no idea we would soon become full-time professional cider makers and apple growers. Now we wouldn’t have it any other way!
When we began sampling Canadian ciders, we noticed they were a lot sweeter than the traditional hard ciders we were accustomed to enjoying in the UK. That’s all it took for us to decide we would open our own cidery and introduce Islanders to the UK-style of ciders we have always loved: pure, crisp, and natural.
Over the next three years, we honed our knowledge and skills in the craft of cider-making, attending Cornell University to complete the National Association of Cider Makers certification and visiting the Three Counties of England to work with and learn from award-winning cider makers.
By the summer of 2018, our first batch of cider was ready to introduce to the world and we opened the doors to Riverdale Orchard & Cidery.
Today, we’re dedicated to crafting artisanal hard ciders that celebrate the humble-yet-mighty apple. We handcraft all of our ciders in small batches at our cidery in Riverdale, ensuring every batch meets the highest standards of quality control.
In the longstanding tradition of UK cider makers, we do not add anything to our ciders – no sulfites, yeasts, hops, grains, water, flavourings, or juice concentrates.
The result is pure fermented apple bliss in a bottle, ready for you to savour.