An Armada apple orchard addition, opening soon, will be only for patrons of legal drinking age.
It's a survival strategy for a family-owned suburban spread, as Ross Benes describes at Crain's Detroit Business. "If you're not being innovative, you're not going to make it in this business," says Pete Blake of Blake Farms.
In early October, the farm will open a 10,000-square-foot cider house and winery called Blake's Cider House and Winery, which will be the first cider house and winery in Southeast Michigan, manager Andrew Blake said.
"Last year, we started to be afraid that cider wouldn't be relevant anymore," Blake said. . . .
The cider house and winery will be licensed to brew up to 50,000 gallons a year. Blake Farms plans to introduce the cider this year and expand distribution next year, Blake said. Making hard cider will diversify the company and allow it to use extra apples from this year's harvest for future hard cider batches. The goal is to produce 15,000 gallons of hard cider this year, he said.
