What alma means to us
Apples are native to Kazakhstan. If one were to hike through the hills and forests of Kazakhstan they would be among the native trees and be able to taste the wild apples that have grown in the region for millennia.
"Alma" is the original word for the apple. In Spanish, "Alma" means soul, and in Latin, it means nurturing spirit. What does Alma mean to us? It means we put our soul and our spirit into knowing and respecting the land, growing the best possible fruit, and making the highest quality Cider.
Alma Cider was born from a dream to spend the days working outside in nature and to grow an unparalleled cider apple crop. We began grafting our own cider apple trees a few years back with the intention of selling the highly sought after fruit to cideries with in the region. Making cider was a hobby and friends often said, “This is as good as the stuff we buy in the stores”. Our batches grew in volume year after year. We incorporated more focus where it was needed, through scientific methodology, but also allowed for creativity and playfulness through experimentation. Although it was a difficult climb with many stumbles, the path was clear. Here on the westside of the Cascade mountain range in Washington, we are fortunate enough to live in a microclimate that is extremely well suited for growing cider fruit. Combined with rich native soils formed by our resident volcanoes and glaciers we can deliver the gold standard for cider fruit and hope to be able to make world class cider.
Alma Cider is a family orchard and boutique fermented cider company. In 2019, our first commercial batch of cider was made and we are so excited to be able to share our cider with you. Thank you for your encouragement and support.
Cheers!