329: Cider Heroine Judith Maloney | West County Cider, MA

Cider Chat

CiderDays 2.0 Cider Dinner on November 5, 2022 with 6 outstanding women producers from the east coast at the Hawks and Reed Performing Art Center in Greenfield, Massashusetts. Dine with Judith Maloney of West County Cider (MA), Lisa Laird Dunn of Lairds & Company (NJ), Louisa Spencer of Farnum Hill Cider & Poverty Lane Orchard (NH) , Eleanor Leger of Eden Specialty Ciders (VT), Nicole Blum of Carrs Ciderhouse & Preservation Orchard and Farm (MA), and Anne Garwood Hampp of Ragged Hill Cider (MA). Sing up now to receive notification to your in box on CiderDays 2.0 schedule of events and early ticket release dates and links.

Judith Maloney on being America's First Cidery in 1984

In 1984 there were no commercial cidermakers in the United States. Only S. Martinelli & Co. based in Watsonville California was able to hold onto their license up to 1979, but gave it up when revenue from sales was only 1% of their overall business of offering apple juice products. Listen to John Martinelli discuss his family's story in episode 162

Terry and Judith Maloney in the early days of West County Cider

Judith Maloney Today

In this Cider Chat

• Hear Judith backstory of her family's start from London to America in the 1940's.
• How she met Terry Maloney
• Making wine in the late 1960's with grapes from Rene di Rosa in the Carneros region or California
• How Judith and Terry ended up in Colrain, Massachusetts
• The paperwork to sell cider under a winery license and working with Agent Ernie (Ernest) Giuliani of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF)
• Getting scion for their orchard and the Redfield Apple
• Getting cider into stores, at a time when quality cider was unknown with Chef's like Jasper White
• Meeting Dewey the cidermaker
• Farm Cider in western Massachusetts
• Steve Wood of Farnum Hill Cider in NH helping Judith when Terry unexpectedly died in 2010
• Starting CiderDays in 1994 and the building of community of makers and friends

West County Cider Today

Judith's son Field Maloney and a silent partner are now the owners of West County Cider. They continue to work with Pine Hill Orchards in Colraine, make Redfield Cider and other single varietal ciders that Field's father Terry showcased. Judith still travels to Boston and loves going to Formaggio Kitchen in Boston where she brings West County Cider products to sell for her son and marvel at the wide range of selections and loves tasting cider with the cheese monger there.

Contact for West County Cider

Website: http://westcountycider.com/

Address: 208 Peckville Rd, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370

Mentions in this chat

• Historical Cider Chat episodes on cider's history in America
  • 317: How the "Cyder" Teapot Fueled the American Revolution
  • 162: S. Martinelli's & Co. | 150 years of Cider
• Hear Field Maloney on Episode 001 of Cider Chat

Help Support Cider Chat Please donate today. Help keep the chat thriving!

Find this episode and all episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts.

• Listen also at iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher (for Android), iHeartRadio , Spotify and wherever you love to listen to podcasts.
• Follow on Cider Chat's blog, social media and podcast
• Twitter @ciderchat
• Instagram: @ciderchatciderville
• Cider Chat FaceBook Page
• Cider Chat YouTube