Local couple finds passion, turning wasted fruit into terrific, tasty cider
In 2012, Nik and Kate Durisek packed up their 100 potted heirloom apple trees, said goodbye to their successful business careers in Vancouver and headed to Oliver.
The Duriseks now own Howling Moon Craft Cider located at 7952 Hwy 97.
For several years previously, the couple had visited the Valley to help Kate’s family who own Black Dog Cellars in Okanagan Falls.
“We started noticing that local fruit farmers would dump fruit at the end of the season. It seemed so wasteful,” Kate said.
Soon the couple was doing research on fruit production and decided that making cider would be a way to help preserve the fruit industry while living a slower-paced, freer life.
“Howling Moon is all about letting go of your inhibitions and having fun,” explained Nik.
He and Kate purchased a five-acre vineyard, ripped out the vines and over the years planted close to 30 different cider apple varieties, including Cox’s Orange Pippin, Dabinett and Calville Blanc d’Hiver.
“Different varieties do well at different locations in the Valley. We want to find the best for our area,” Nik said.
He and Kate also have a small orchard at their home on the West Bench in Penticton.
Until full production is reached in a few years, the Duriseks will continue to purchase apples from Worrenberg Farms in Keremeos.
“Our goal is to produce all of the apples ourselves and to increase production from the current 25,000 litres per year to 30,000 litres,” Nik said.
Considering it takes approximately 1.5 kg of apples to make 1 litre of cider, the Duriseks will be producing a lot of apples.
Craft cider contains 95 per cent juice, does not use concentrates or add sugar and is not diluted with water, Kate explained.
“It is made on the same farm that the apples are grown on and is quite often a family run business,” she said.
In 2013, Howling Moon quickly sold out of the 5,000 litres of its flagship blend, Revival, a 60 per cent dessert 40 per cent cider apple blend.
Soon two new traditional style blends were added.
Revolution, a light-bodied cider, is made with mainly cider apples and kept almost completely dry while semi-sweet Rebellion is a medium bodied North American pub style cider.
Howling Moon’s Makers’ Series includes seven ciders aged with a botanical and sweetened by the addition of fruit juices.
“Lavender Plum is our first release of the year. It’s a fragrant floral cider made with an infusion of Italian plums and English lavender,” Kate said.
Others in the series include awardwinning cucumber mint, vanilla peach and spiced cherry.
Howling Moon is sold at private liquor stores, pubs and restaurants throughout the Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley and the Okanagan.
The Duriseks now have a full-time sales manager in the Okanagan and part-time sales agents in the greater Vancouver area to help with tastings and festivals.
They plan to hire help in the orchard and the recently expanded and remodeled tasting room.
“We are focusing on people enjoying a flight of cider on the patio while their children are having fun in the play area,” Kate said.
In addition to Howling Moon, the Duriseks play other major roles in the cider and wine industries.
Nik operates the Okanagan Wine Lab, which serves the analytical needs of the wine and cider industries, while Kate serves as the executive director of the B.C. Wine Grape Council.
They were also instrumental in establishing the B.C. Farm Craft Cider Association, which acts as a voice for land-based cideries.
For more information, visit www.howlingmoon.ca, email cider@howlingmoon.ca or call 778-439-2373.
Susan McIver is The Herald’s Summerland and agriculture reporter.