Local Richmond Cidery Expands Products To Now Include Seltzers

Bryant's Cider is a farm to bottle Cidery, and now seltzery, located in Shockoe Bottom and on their farm in Nelson County, VA. They opened the cidery in 2018 and plan to launch their seltzer in August of 2020. They are independently owned and have a small team of five people across the two locations. They specialize in all natural ciders and seltzers that are sugar free, low carb, and made with fresh ingredients. Their apples are grown on their farm and they use fresh, local, or organic ingredients to flavor their ciders.

Jerry Thorton took over his family farm (where he mostly grew up) in 2014 after his grandmother passed. Following a divorce and a move to Richmond with his young daughter, he had his "screw it" moment. His career in corporate finance had been successful but was not his passion. He then began to build Bryant's Cidery on the farm in 2017 and opened in 2018.

Later in 2018, Jerry opened a small tasting room in Jackson Ward while his family looked for a permanent home in Richmond. A year later, he purchased his new building in Shockoe Bottom that hosts their seltzery and barrel aged ciders, steampunk tasting room, and his residence.

He would describe it as a long journey, to say the least. Jerry built his business from the ground up without private investment. They have grown slowly so they can keep the focus on making amazing alcohol and not just making money.

Their new building in Shockoe was scheduled to open March 21st but that was cancelled due to COVID-19. They’ve had challenges in finding ways to responsibly promote the buildings and get people into their new location safely. Bryant’s Cider hopes to grow quickly, however, they're at the mercy of COVID at this point. Awareness is the biggest support their community can give them. They currently do not have much distribution in Richmond so word of mouth is crucial for this small business. For more information on Bryant’s Cider, visit their website at www.bryantscider.com.

Location: 2114 E Main St. Richmond, Virginia