Ciderworks

Everything that made Salt Spring Island a great place to grow apples in the 19th century is still true today. Salt Spring’s climate is mild, its soil is fertile enough for apples to thrive and the nearby markets of Victoria and Vancouver need fresh produce more than ever. For these reasons and others, we believe a renaissance for Salt Spring Island apple growing is at hand. Today, there is renewed and increasing interest in wholesome, organic foods grown nearby. Salt Spring Island has developed strong regional (and even national) name recognition as a source for quirky, unique, high-quality products, whether artwork, cheese, wine or – yes – organic apples. And over the past decade, Salt Spring’s agricultural community has begun working together with purpose, dedicated to restoring the Island’s agricultural prominence. While Okanagan and Similkameen Valley growers – not to mention the vast orchards of foreign lands – have climatic and economic advantages in mass-producing apples, smart Salt Spring growers are taking a different path, eschewing large-scale production of ‘generic’ varieties in favour of distinctive, high-quality, organic apple-growing that serves a niche market of connoisseurs and supporters of local and regional food production.