308: Virginia's First Lady of Cider | Diane Flynt

Flynt could have grown pot, but it was apples that really caught her eye Flynt casually joked during this interview that perhaps she could have chosen to become a pot (cannabis) grower as a career before becoming an apple farmer. I think I can speak for the whole of Ciderville in saying, "we are sure glad she went for the apple"

Diane Flynt

For Virginia and the rest of the cider industry we all gained when she went full into apple growing in 1997 and became the first licensed cidery in the south. Foggy Ridge Cider began selling cider in 2004 and became a top national brand model for astute drinkers who were looking for a true representation of what a blend of apples could do in a bottle of cider.

In 2018, she made and sold her last cider called "Final Call". Having been nominated for the James Beard Award in 2015 and 2016, and becoming a finalist for this award in 2017 and 2018, as Flynt puts it, "It was the right choice to stop selling cider and focus on the orchard."

Today Foggy Ridge Cider continues on as a premier supplier of apples to regional cidermakers.

Topics in this Chat

• Diane Flynt's early mentors and the role models of today
• Flynt's long view on cider and the cider market
• What she would do differently if she knew back then what she knows now
  • plant different apples varieties that she has learned will grow better
• Flynt's advice for new growers
• Flynt's take on working around climate change and choosing apple varieties accordingly
• Her favorite eating apples
• Her future plans for the orchards at Foggy Ridge

What the future holds for Diane Flynt

• Working on a book called Windfall
  • on the back story of Diane Flynt and southern apples

Contact Foggy Ridge

Website: https://foggyridgecider.com/

Mentions in this Chat

• Terry Maloney - West County Cider
• Tim Wright - Wise Bird, Kentucky
• Blue Bee Cider, Virginia - upcoming episode 310 with Courtney Mailey
• Steve Wood- Farnum Hill Cider
• Autumn Stoscheck - Eve's Cider
• Nick Gunn
• James Creek CiderHouse
• Greg Peck PhD Cornell

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