FEATURE
BlackBird Cider Shines BY WENDY GUILD SWEARINGEN
B
lackBird Cider Works in Barker is situated on a lovely plot of land nestled among apple orchards and with views of Lake Ontario. Visitors can try ciders in the charming tasting room. Owner Scott Donovan, 59, has been producing cider here since 2011. What began as a hobby in 2005 has since turned into a thriving business including the Barker location, a pub in Chandler Street in Black Rock, and distribution at Wegmans, among other markets. The Cider Hall is housed within the renovated Linde Air complex. When the weather is fair, the garage door goes up to reveal a huge patio space with seating, activities, and a bocce court. Prior to and during the early years of BlackBird Cider Works, Donovan worked as an internal audit executive at a medical device company. For nearly a decade, he did double duty making cider and working full time. Though he’s devoted his time to growing the cider business, things have not slowed down much for Donovan, but we were fortunate to catch him for quick Q&A about the history of BlackBird cider—and what’s coming up. Forever Young: Describe your life pre-cider. Scott Donovan: Internal audit was one of several professional
disciplines I have experience in. I have a broad business background and actually started my career in the manufacturing industry after graduated from RIT with a business degree and a concentration in operations management. My first job was with General Electric in Syracuse, NY. That was a great company to work for and they sponsored me through the MBA program at Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management. I held a lot of positions in manufacturing and as I gained more experience, I moved into more senior positions including plant manager and VP of manufacturing. I mention
A flight of ciders on the patio at Buffalo Cider Hall Photo courtesy of BlackBird Cider
all this because I believe my operations and internal controls background has been very helpful in growing apples, making cider, and successfully operating a small business. FY: What got you interested in making cider? SD: I knew I wanted to have my own small manufacturing business
COME HOME TO
Shaarey Zedek Apartments 1 & 2 BEDROOM STYLES 834.3711 A quiet senior community nestled in the heart of Amherst.
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www.foreveryoungwny.com | July 2020
410 Hartford Road Amherst, NY 14226
(off Millersport - 1 Block, North of Sheridan)
someday, and while working in the Seattle area in the early 2000s, I became interested in craft hard cider. I also noted while traveling in Europe for my job that cider was a very popular beverage. So, in 2005 after I moved back to Western New York and while working a full-time job, I began looking for an orchard to purchase. In the summer of 2006, I found and fell in love with the Lakeside Orchard in Barker, which is in the Northeast corner of Niagara County. That’s where it started. FY: Where did you learn the process—what was that like? SD: When I started making cider commercially, there was very little guidance. Unlike beer, wine, and spirits, cider had been a forgotten beverage for decades, so there was little technical information. That has changed
