MANSON, Wash. — Three sisters, a lot of cider, and one big old orchard filled with history — that's Rootwood Cider in a nutshell.
"Our family has been involved with growing and harvesting apples for over 100 years," says one of the sisters, Kate.
Emily, Kate and Anna are the daughters of apple farmers. They grew up in a house just beyond their family's orchard and spent their childhoods helping their father pick apples. But as they grew up, they decided to branch off from their family's business in a slightly different direction.
Cider.
The sisters run Rootwood Cider, using their family's apples to create high-quality ciders.
"We have a really deep, old farming history, and we kind of call back on those deep roots and family traditions," Anna says.
Anna designed Rootwood's taproom, which sits a few steps away from their family's orchard. They grow a mix of cider and culinary apples.
"A lot of people might not know that Golden Delicious or Gala Apples, which we grow on the commercial side of our orchard, doesn't necessarily translate well to a fermented cider," says Emily. "But with the addition of having a cider orchard, we're able to offer more complex flavor profiles."
One of their most popular ciders is their Hop Infused, which mixes hops with cider to create a beverage that tends to attract beer aficionados. And because their family grows cherries along with apples, you'll sometimes find cherry cider as well.
"We're excited about continuing farming, you know, and sharing the experience of the orchard with others," Anna says.
The sisters are the fifth generation in this apple farming family, with the sixth one already underway - but even though they're branching off from traditional apples, their family tradition is still just as important to them.
"We have a lot of pride in it," Emily says. "And, you know, we want to set it up so that it can be continued on."
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