378: The Inner Realm of the Ice Cider Queen | Eden, VT

Nothing Sharp about the "Ice Cider Queen"

Eleanor Léger is affectionately dubbed the Ice Cider Queen by many followers, most notably this podcast. She founded Eden Specialty Cider in 2007, the year of the first harvest of apples for producing Ice Cider at Eden.

The act of freezing apple juice outdoors during the coldest days and nights of the winter to extract the water and then ferment the pure juice into what is known as Ice Cider is not new to Canadian makers just over the border from Eden's Newport Vermont headquarters. What is unique however is how Eden marketed and refined the technique to showcase to this delectable aperitif/digestif to a wider audience.

Eleanor Léger

Many awards later, a White House serving, and a reputation for some of the best Ice Cider in the world is now par for the course for the Queen and her growing realm. In 2023 Eden is celebrating its fifteenth anniversary and has broadening the business, based in the northeast kingdom of Vermont, to include to two additional brands, Shelburne Vineyard and Iapetus (a natural wine brand).

In addition to her role as President and CEO of Eden Specialty Ciders, Eleanor is the Board President for the American Cider Association (ACA). This will be her last year in this role, when a new President is elected in 2024. In total she will have served 3 years in this position and discusses her goal during that time of making the Association accessible to makers who produce less than 25,000 gallons per year .

In this Cider Chat:

• Focusing on Ice Cider as a niche within the niche of cider making
• From farmhouse to tasting room - the early days of Eden Specialty Ciders
• A perfect fit of cider, wine and brand expansion
• Educating people about dry cider
• Secret confessions from the Queen
• Work life balance

Contact for Eden Specialty Cider, Shelburne Vineyard and Iapetus Wine

• Website: https://www.edenciders.com/

Mentions in this Chat

• Fermentis: SafCider™ Yeasts for your cider!
• Visit Idaho and taste the ciders! More info at https://nwcider.com/map