cider apple pricing

I am putting in cider trees and trying to find the going price for cider apples is next to impossible. I have tried numerous searches and all I can seem to find is cull apples for sale and windfalls for sale. I would love to get some words of wisdom from some of you old hands on pricing cider apples
Jeb Thurow
Zone 7
Washington



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/21/2013 07:29PM by Michael Phillips.

In England, the price of cider apples is ridicously small - the apples are sold by the ton, at a price around 10 cents a pound. But then, cider (even good craft cider) is also very inexpensive in England.
In USA, the only data I have is the price Steve Wood used to sell his surplus cider apples (he grows more than he can use for his cider operation). In Cider Digest #1334, august 2006, Steve was selling cider apples at 20$ a bu for small quantities, and at 150$ a bin when buying a lot (like more than 10 bins). A bin being about 600 lbs, this is 25 cents a pound.
Claude

Jolicoeur Orchard
Zone 4 in Quebec



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/2013 09:17PM by Michael Phillips.

Thanks Claude,
I know on paper this looks like a really bad Idea and I might end up with a whole bunch of apples but call me the eternal optimist!
I am hoping that over the next two years as my trees progress I can have a number of educational classes on cider and what different types of apples can do for your cider. This is DEFINITELY a community orchard idea and I doubt it will get to commercial size. My whole marketing strategy is centered around education.

Jeb Thurow
zone 7
Washington



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/19/2013 08:18PM by Jeb Thurow.

In southern Australia, certified organic juice grade apples are worth around $250 per tonne, or 25 cents per kg, or around 10 cents per pound.

Kalangadoo Orchard
On the “other side” in South Australia

One thing to note, regarding Steve Wood's juice apples, is that he gets those prices because he has classic (i.e. European) hard cider variety apples. Apples marketed for sweet cider or apple juice will earn the lower amounts. There is buzz in the hard cider community about the shortage of "real" hard cider apples in the US (and the hard cider business is booming in Washington), so you should be able to market juice from any apples known to make good hard cider.

I've also found kind of a dearth of information about this. There have been a lot of articles recently about rapidly increasing demand and no supply of proper cider variety apples. I called Poverty Lane Orchards (Steve Wood's place) and spoke to a woman there who said they sell 275 gallon totes of unfermented juice (from cider varieties) for $2,500. We're hoping to put in a cidery and distillery at some point and process our own apples (if/when the trees produce) but it would be wonderful to be able to sell the apples or juice for a decent price too.

Nat Bouman
Growing cider varieties in Zone 5b
On B.118 at 18X24
Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania

We are in Western WA and the hard cider business is indeed thriving here which is great to see. I saw an article that says production is doubling annually here. Apples coming in from Eastern WA where they are mass produced sell (seconds or thirds most likely) for a whopping 9 cents/lb. And that's organic apples! Of course those are dessert and not cider varieties. We have a unique situation where we came upon a farm with numerous apple varieties (260) many of them cider, so we get a better rate at 40 cents/lb or 35 cents/lb if the cidery hires a crew to come pick our apples. We are not certified but certifiable organic. I hope this helps.

Wildcat Valley Farm
Zone 8b
Olympic Peninsula Rainshadow
Port Angeles, Washington