Guelph cider start-up brings local ideas near and far

By Matt McIntosh    source: AgInnovationOntario

Revel Cider Company may only be three years old, but its brand already spans the province.

With between 70 and 80 bars and restaurants on the customer list, the company’s hard cider continues to exploit a lucrative market for locally made and sourced craft brews.

“We only sell to bars and restaurants at this point. They’re all over Ontario, from Thunder Bay to Ottawa and London,” said Tariq Ahmed, the company’s founder and sole employee.

The basis for Revel Cider first started fermenting during Ahmed’s time as a farm hand. An old cider press in one of the farm’s outbuildings peaked his interest, so he started brewing as a hobby. That hobby became Revel Cider in March 2013.

With funding from Innovation Guelph’s Fuel Injection Seed Funding Program, Ahmed has been able to increase production four-fold in less than three years. His literal liquid output jumped from 20,000 litres in 2015 to what will soon be 80,000 litres later this year.

“2017 was actually a late start. We were in the process of moving the business from a rented space in Hamilton to Guelph, so we couldn’t get rolling until all the equipment was set up again,” he said.

Other staff did not come with that business growth, however. Despite having some help for things like graphic design and the odd bottling session, Ahmed is still doing everything himself – from brewing and delivering to marketing and business management.

“I really enjoy working on the production end of things, but a huge amount of my time is spent in delivering and meeting with clients,” Ahmed said. “That’s important though. This is my business, and I think it’s a little more authentic when I have a hand in everything.”

That grassroots approach applies to ingredient sourcing too. Indeed, a large part of Ahmed’s marketing plan – and fundamental business design – centres on local ingredients from local producers. His main source of apples, for instance, is a farm from the Grand Bend area. When required in his recipes, hops are also sourced from growers within a reasonable driving distance.

Ahmed enjoys and values experimentation with all ingredients – from wild yeast strains to licensed European hop varieties – and believes the need to keep an open brewer’s mind is critical.