Western Cider’s Community Apple Drive Seeks Missoula’s Backyard Bounty
MISSOULA, Mont. – Last year, Western Cider Co. teamed up with The Great Bear Foundation to create a unique, community cider. For years, the foundation has run the Bears and Apples Program in attempt to keep bears from scavenging apples in Missoula’s urban areas. Volunteer crews are organized to collect apples around the valley. Now, those apples are being used to create a cider called the Great Bear Community Cider and 10% of proceeds from the sale of the beverage is donated back to the foundation.
This year, Western Cider is ramping up their search for community apples. THE GREAT BEAR APPLE DRIVE is a community apple harvest with a very simple concept: bring us your apples or pears and we will give you cider. Specifically, for every 40 pounds of apples, you get a $5 certificate in return. More important than the tradeoff, your contribution of apples is a collaboration to produce the most local of Missoula beverages besides water – hard cider. We will release this community cider, named The Great Bear, in early 2018.
To get involved, please, bring a minimum of 40 pounds of apples or pears to our tasting room at 501 N. California St. in Missoula, Montana between Noon and 6 PM, seven days a week. We would prefer your apples contained in a fruit box. If you are bringing more than 200 pounds, please, arrange a separate time by emailing matt@westerncider.com. Please, no rotten, bruised, or open fleshed apples. Worms are OK!
If you would like to press your own apples, but have no access to an apple press, we will have a free pressing at our Montana Cider Week kickoff party on Sunday, October 1st.
