Consultants Forum Advertise
Subscribe
Close

  • Free for qualified executives and consultants to industry

  • Receive quarterly issues of Area Development Magazine and special market report and directory issues

Subscribe Now
Renew

Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Lost Boy Cider Plans Alexandria, Virginia Hard Cider Production Facility

05/16/2019
Lost Boy Cider will invest more than $668,000 to renovate a nearly 6,000-square-foot warehouse space for a new hard cider production facility and tasting room in Alexandria, Virginia.

According to state officials, the company will produce a variety of traditional and innovative hard ciders, sourcing 100 percent of its apples from Virginia. With several apple trees on site, Lost Boy Cider will become the City’s first Virginia Farm Winery-licensed production facility.

“My wife Katie and I have spent nearly three years preparing for this project launch,” said Tristan Wright, Founder of Lost Boy Cider. “It has been incredibly rewarding to have the support of the community, the City of Alexandria, and the State of Virginia. We have developed an exclusive blend of Virginia orchard-based apple juice with local cultivators and plan to apply the funding we received through the AFID program towards building stronger relationships with Virginia-based growers. As stewards of a long-standing Virginia tradition of hard cider, we cannot thank the City and State enough for their support.

As an incentive, the Commonwealth is partnering with the City of Alexandria and the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership on this project through the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) Fund, which is administered by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS). Governor Northam approved a $30,000 grant from the AFID Fund to secure the project for Virginia, which the City of Alexandria will match with local funds.

“Today’s announcement demonstrates the close ties between Virginia’s urban and rural regions made possible by our strong agricultural industry,” said Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Bettina Ring. “I am excited to partner with the City of Alexandria through the AFID program to help Lost Boy Cider establish a new market for Virginia apples and create a tangible, tasteable connection to Virginia agriculture in the heart of Northern Virginia.”

“The arrival of Lost Boy Cider in the City of Alexandria will help strengthen Virginia’s reputation as a top destination for artisanal cider and build on the tremendous growth and momentum of our craft beverage industry,” said Governor Ralph Northam. “This investment from Lost Boy Cider, and their commitment to sourcing the Virginia’s apples that make ciders so distinctive, is a reflection of the economic impact that our agricultural and tourism sectors can have in cities as well as rural parts of the Commonwealth.”

“We are so excited to be able to officially welcome Lost Boy Cider to our growing brewing community here in Alexandria,” said Stephanie Landrum, President & CEO of the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership. “The AEDP team has been working with the cidery founder and the Commonwealth for almost a year to facilitate the successful application for this AFID Program grant that will help bring this entrepreneur’s dream to reality. Lost Boy Cider joins a strong community of small and locally-owned businesses in Alexandria, and will be a great addition to the Carlyle neighborhood.”

Exclusive Research