Great cider starts from great juice. At Rider Ranch 100% of our cider starts out as apples grown locally in santa cruz county orchards. Every gallon of our cider is made juicing these apples right here on our property. Now you can have not only a chance to see how our cider is made but also to participate in the process.
We press apples approximately every 3 weeks during the season (August - February ). Each pressing we process 1/2 ton of apple over 2 days(sat-sun). We typically have a Saturday and a Sunday crew each consisting of 4-6 people. Our pressing days start at 9:30 and go to 4:30 with a time for lunch.
What to Expect
You will be working with us to wash, grade, grind and press apples into juice that will be used to make hard cider. You will learn the process and how to operate the equipment in making 100% raw, cold pressed apple juice. You should be able to lift 40lbs of apples at a time and expect to get wet. Wear comfortable closed toed shoes that can get wet. Expect to work, have fun, and gain the experience of a life time.
Whats in it for you
In addition to the experience and knowledge you will walk away with we’ll give you lunch, all the apples you can eat and apple juice you can drink while making juice. We will also send you home with a sample of the juice you made. For those over 21 you will also be invited to the dooryard event for the batch you helped produce, where you will be among the first to sample and be able to purchase the hard cider you helped produce.