Accessibility Statement Skip Navigation
  • Why PRWeb
  • How It Works
  • Who Uses It
  • Pricing
  • Login
  • GDPR
  • Create a Free Account
Return to PRWeb homepage
  • News
  • Resources
  • Contact
When typing in this field, a list of search results will appear and be automatically updated as you type.

Searching for your content...

No results found. Please change your search terms and try again.
  • News in Focus
      • Browse News Releases

      • All News Releases
      • Multimedia Gallery

      • All Multimedia
      • All Photos
      • All Videos
  • Business & Money
      • Auto & Transportation

      • Aerospace, Defense
      • Air Freight
      • Airlines & Aviation
      • Automotive
      • Maritime & Shipbuilding
      • Railroads and Intermodal Transportation
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Transportation, Trucking & Railroad
      • Travel
      • Trucking and Road Transportation
      • View All Auto & Transportation

      • Business Technology

      • Blockchain
      • Broadcast Tech
      • Computer & Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Components
      • Electronic Design Automation
      • Financial Technology
      • High Tech Security
      • Internet Technology
      • Nanotechnology
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Semiconductors
      • View All Business Technology

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film and Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Financial Services & Investing

      • Accounting News & Issues
      • Acquisitions, Mergers and Takeovers
      • Banking & Financial Services
      • Bankruptcy
      • Bond & Stock Ratings
      • Conference Call Announcements
      • Contracts
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Dividends
      • Earnings
      • Earnings Forecasts & Projections
      • Financing Agreements
      • Insurance
      • Investments Opinions
      • Joint Ventures
      • Mutual Funds
      • Private Placement
      • Real Estate
      • Restructuring & Recapitalization
      • Sales Reports
      • Shareholder Activism
      • Shareholder Meetings
      • Stock Offering
      • Stock Split
      • Venture Capital
      • View All Financial Services & Investing

      • General Business

      • Awards
      • Commercial Real Estate
      • Corporate Expansion
      • Earnings
      • Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
      • Human Resource & Workforce Management
      • Licensing
      • New Products & Services
      • Obituaries
      • Outsourcing Businesses
      • Overseas Real Estate (non-US)
      • Personnel Announcements
      • Real Estate Transactions
      • Residential Real Estate
      • Small Business Services
      • Socially Responsible Investing
      • Surveys, Polls and Research
      • Trade Show News
      • View All General Business

  • Science & Tech
      • Consumer Technology

      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Blockchain
      • Cloud Computing/Internet of Things
      • Computer Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Consumer Electronics
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Gaming
      • Financial Technology
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Multimedia & Internet
      • Peripherals
      • Social Media
      • STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math)
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Consumer Technology

      • Energy & Natural Resources

      • Alternative Energies
      • Chemical
      • Electrical Utilities
      • Gas
      • General Manufacturing
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Oil & Energy
      • Oil and Gas Discoveries
      • Utilities
      • Water Utilities
      • View All Energy & Natural Resources

      • Environ­ment

      • Conservation & Recycling
      • Environmental Issues
      • Environmental Policy
      • Environmental Products & Services
      • Green Technology
      • Natural Disasters
      • View All Environ­ment

      • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Aerospace & Defense
      • Agriculture
      • Chemical
      • Construction & Building
      • General Manufacturing
      • HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning)
      • Machinery
      • Machine Tools, Metalworking and Metallurgy
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Paper, Forest Products & Containers
      • Precious Metals
      • Textiles
      • Tobacco
      • View All Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Telecomm­unications

      • Carriers and Services
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Telecommunications Equipment
      • Telecommunications Industry
      • VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Telecomm­unications

  • Lifestyle & Health
      • Consumer Products & Retail

      • Animals & Pets
      • Beers, Wines and Spirits
      • Beverages
      • Bridal Services
      • Cannabis
      • Cosmetics and Personal Care
      • Fashion
      • Food & Beverages
      • Furniture and Furnishings
      • Home Improvement
      • Household, Consumer & Cosmetics
      • Household Products
      • Jewelry
      • Non-Alcoholic Beverages
      • Office Products
      • Organic Food
      • Product Recalls
      • Restaurants
      • Retail
      • Supermarkets
      • Toys
      • View All Consumer Products & Retail

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film and Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Health

      • Biometrics
      • Biotechnology
      • Clinical Trials & Medical Discoveries
      • Dentistry
      • FDA Approval
      • Fitness/Wellness
      • Health Care & Hospitals
      • Health Insurance
      • Infection Control
      • International Medical Approval
      • Medical Equipment
      • Medical Pharmaceuticals
      • Mental Health
      • Pharmaceuticals
      • Supplementary Medicine
      • View All Health

      • Sports

      • General Sports
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Sporting Events
      • Sports Equipment & Accessories
      • View All Sports

      • Travel

      • Amusement Parks and Tourist Attractions
      • Gambling & Casinos
      • Hotels and Resorts
      • Leisure & Tourism
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Passenger Aviation
      • Travel Industry
      • View All Travel

  • Policy & Public Interest
      • Policy & Public Interest

      • Advocacy Group Opinion
      • Animal Welfare
      • Congressional & Presidential Campaigns
      • Corporate Social Responsibility
      • Domestic Policy
      • Economic News, Trends, Analysis
      • Education
      • Environmental
      • European Government
      • FDA Approval
      • Federal and State Legislation
      • Federal Executive Branch & Agency
      • Foreign Policy & International Affairs
      • Homeland Security
      • Labor & Union
      • Legal Issues
      • Natural Disasters
      • Not For Profit
      • Patent Law
      • Public Safety
      • Trade Policy
      • U.S. State Policy
      • View All Policy & Public Interest

  • People & Culture
      • People & Culture

      • Aboriginal, First Nations & Native American
      • African American
      • Asian American
      • Children
      • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
      • Hispanic
      • Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual
      • Men's Interest
      • People with Disabilities
      • Religion
      • Senior Citizens
      • Veterans
      • Women
      • View All People & Culture

  • Hamburger menu
  • Cision PRWeb provides efficient communication tools to continuously engage with target audiences across multiple online channels
  • Create a Free Account
    • ALL CONTACT INFO
    • Contact Us


      11AM ET Sunday – 8PM ET Friday

  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • News in Focus
    • Browse All News
    • Multimedia Gallery
  • Business & Money
    • Auto & Transportation
    • Business Technology
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Financial Services & Investing
    • General Business
  • Science & Tech
    • Consumer Technology
    • Energy & Natural Resources
    • Environ­ment
    • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing
    • Telecomm­unications
  • Lifestyle & Health
    • Consumer Products & Retail
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Health
    • Sports
    • Travel
  • Policy & Public Interest
  • People & Culture
    • People & Culture
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR

Leading Midwest Craft Cider Distributer Increases Production to One Million Gallons with Expansion, Opening of Second Facility
  • USA - English


News provided by

834 Design & Marketing

Jun 16, 2015, 05:00 ET

Share this article

Share toX

Share this article

Share toX

Paul Vander Heide, co-founder of Vander Mill
Paul Vander Heide, co-founder of Vander Mill

Paul is thinking big, and the hard cider market is showing all indicators that the room to grow is there.

Post this

Grand Rapids, Michigan (PRWEB) June 16, 2015 -- Michigan-based hard cider producer, Vander Mill, will increase its production by 400 percent with the opening of its second manufacturing and distribution location in Grand Rapids, Michigan, raising its production capacity from 225,000 gallons in 2014 to one million gallons – with the potential for up to six million gallons – upon facility completion. While cider only represents 1.2 percent of total dollars for the malt-based / cider category, Nielsen-measured channels revealed a 75.4 percent sales increase from 2013 to 2014, totaling $400 million. Vander Mill began producing hard ciders in 2008 and is currently the leading craft cider in the Midwest. As of January 25, 2015, Grand Rapids ranked 11th in the nation in cider share of all beer sales at two percent.

“Bearing in mind that Vander Mill’s beginnings as a cider mill in 2006 were very humble and we did not even begin producing hard cider until 2008, an investment of this size is incredibly significant for our company,” explained Paul Vander Heide, co-founder of Vander Mill. “We plan to keep the focus on our current distribution markets – Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio – through this expansion and will consider new markets once those areas are given room to accommodate our growth and anticipated growth of the market overall.”

To maintain production at its current rate, a majority of Vander Mill’s production equipment from its facility in Spring Lake, Michigan will be moved to Grand Rapids where it will join four new 12,000-gallon fermenters with space to accommodate an additional 25. Five employees will continue to handle production operation, while an additional 60 to 70 will be added as staff for the new restaurant taproom. A total of approximately $1.2 million will be invested to renovate the currently existing facility to match Vander Heide’s vision. Colliers International | West Michigan worked with Vander Heide in identifying an existing facility for its expansion.

“Vander Mill has been incredibly strategic throughout the building search process,” explained John Kuiper of Colliers International | West Michigan, who handled the transaction for the company. “Paul is thinking big, and the hard cider market is showing all indicators that the room to grow is there. Finding a facility that was a logical fit for his current vision but would also accommodate a ‘sky’s-the-limit’ plan was key.”

Vander Mill, a founding member of the Michigan Cider Association, is currently working with local farms to plant varieties of apples best fit for cider making – a process bearing more similarity to wine making than beer brewing. The hard cider company, which harvests all of its apples from Michigan’s Fruit Ridge, processed close to three million pounds of apples in 2014 and approximates the usage of 12 million pounds to reach its new production capacity of one million gallons. Vander Mill offers three different series of hard cider – Core, Cyser and Heritage – in addition to specialty drafts and one-offs. Flavors range from classics like Hard Apple and Totally Roasted to fruity infusions like Ginger Peach and Apple Raspberry.

“The true mark of resilience in this industry is innovation,” continued Vander Heide. “We strive to study our consumer, listen to what their wants and needs are, and strategically develop a product that will give them what they are looking for while also whetting the appetites of new consumers branching outside domestic beer or wine for the first time.”

As an industry, hard cider brewing has found its way into all regions of the United States. When compared with sales of different craft beer styles (IPA, Seasonal and Pale Ale), cider would be the number two best selling when measured by volume. With many mass domestic beer drinkers trading up for other brewed options, 80 percent of hard cider drinkers are under the age of 40 – a 50/50 split between male and female – with a college education and knack for variety. Hard cider also accommodates certain dietary needs by providing individuals with gluten intolerance a refreshingly smooth gluten-free option.

For more information about Vander Mill, please visit: http://www.vandermill.com. To learn more about Colliers International | West Michigan, refer to: http://www.colliers.com/en-us/westmichigan.

###

About Vander Mill
Paul Vander Heide and his wife Amanda started Vander Mill in 2006, along with Paul’s brother and sister-in-law, Stu and Christie Vander Heide. The vision wasn’t elaborate: a small-town cider mill where people can feel at home. After countless hours of dedication to learning the craft of pressing, fermenting and blending; their vision still has the small-town charm, but their reach now goes across four states and still growing. Next in the works is a new bottling and distribution location in Grand Rapids, which will increase production by 400% and also feature a taproom.

About Colliers International | West Michigan
Colliers International | West Michigan is a privately-owned commercial real estate and property management services firm with specialties in office, retail, industrial and investment properties. Founded in 1995, the company comprises three offices and 63 professionals.

Kim Bode, 834 Design & Marketing, http://www.834design.com, 6162992677, [email protected]

Modal title

Contact PRWeb

  • 11AM ET Sunday – 8PM ET Friday
  • Contact Us

About PRWeb

  • About PRWeb
  • Partners
  • Partnership Programs
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Resources

Why PRWeb

  • Why PRWeb
  • How It Works
  • Who Uses It
  • Pricing

Accounts

  • Create a Free Account
  • Log in
  • Contact Us

Do not sell or share my personal information:

  • Submit via [email protected] 
  • Call Privacy toll-free: 877-297-8921

Contact Cision

Products

About

My Services
  • All News Releases
  • Online Member Center
  • ProfNet
Cision Distribution Helpline
888-776-0942
  • Legal
  • Site Map
  • RSS
  • Cookie Settings
Copyright © 2025 Cision US Inc.