Moonrise Ridge Taproom
Windsor's new craft beer & cider destination
BY LOLA AUGUSTINE BROWN
PHOTOS MICHELLE DOUCETTE
Cracking open a can of Moonrise Ridge premium cider, made with fresh-pressed Annapolis Valley apples and local peaches, pears, and blueberries, delivers an instant taste of Nova Scotia. Their product line showcases our province's bounty and is doing exceptionally well.
Since its launch in Spring 2020, Windsor-based Moonrise Ridge has seen strong growth in challenging times. Indeed, without the pandemic, we may never have had the chance to sip on these products—and what a shame that would have been.
Cider was never part of Moonrise’s president Robert Webb’s business plan. Initially, Webb used local produce to create late-harvest dessert wines for the Asian market. “In 2019, I went to Shanghai and took our product to some trade shows, and we had a Chinese partner looking into the marketing side of things,” explains Webb, “Then Covid happened, and we had to pivot. We had all these blueberries and a lot of apples—all the products we needed to start a cider company.”
Webb was fortunate to have great people around who could facilitate that pivot—their winemaker Nancy Klokocka had been head cider maker at Bulwark, and the equipment they’d bought to make wine transitioned easily to making cider. They had a local designer create some gorgeous branding, and in a remarkably short period, they had a product that people were eager to buy.
Sipping on that first batch of wild blueberry cider was an interesting experience. “We didn’t have retail or anything at that point because it was the start of the pandemic, but I was there at the facility helping the cider making, mostly cleaning tanks and doing other non-technical stuff, and it was so interesting to me how different the product is before filtration and carbonation,” Webb says, “It was so exciting getting to drink our cider out of the can and taste how good it was.”
Seizing every opportunity
The Moonrise Ridge product line grew fast, selling at farmers’ markets and select stores, and their Wild Blueberry cider proved an immediate hit at the NSLC—appearing at 80 stores across the province. They offered Perfect Pear and Juicy Peach varieties and a crisp Naked Apple cider. They also offered wine (“We had a lot of blueberry wine already fermented, so it was easy to get that done,” he says.) A year later, they launched Luna Hard Selzers (beginning with raspberry and blackberry seltzers, both flavoured with local fruit juices).
Until recently, they operated on a smaller scale and relied on a mobile canning company, limiting their ability to get their product to market. They’d also still never had a tasting room, which is somewhat unique for a cidery in Nova Scotia.
“When we started talking to NSLC back in 2020 they stressed the importance of us having our taproom to build our brand, but because we opened right when Covid started it didn't make a lot of sense. A lot of retailers were slowing down and closing down,” says Webb.
This year, however, has seen significant growth that’s changed both those factors thanks to a partnership with Blake Sarsfield of the Sarsfield family, owners of Ocean Crisp Apple Company. Joining forces has enabled Moonrise to grow. They now produce their cider in a larger space and have purchased canning equipment, allowing for a much-needed increase in production volume. Webb says the goal is always to have 4,000 litres of cider ready to go. “Now, with our own equipment, we can do a small batch where we’ll do 600-900 litres and do a little run for the day. That’s working out really well for us,” he says.
Along with this expansion, the partnership started producing beer under Brig and Barq Brewing. The name comes from the Sarsfield family’s rich ship-building history (brigs and barques are square-masted ships traditionally built in the Valley.)
Webb and his partners (as of ten days at writing) opened Moonrise Ridge’s first tap room in Windsor and bought the Port Pub in Port Williams. Things are busy. “It's been a crazy summer for sure. But when you have good partners and good people working for you, it always makes it a little smoother,” says Webb.
The partnership has made Webb happy for many reasons. He loves that this growth stems from two local, family-run businesses coming together. Sharing in this growth is vital to Moonrise Ridge’s continued success. “One of the biggest stresses with any business is building it up to a level where it is viable, where it’s looking after itself and holding its own,” explains Webb, “Up until that point, you’re just investing more and more cash.”
The Windsor Taproom—as it’s named—sits in an apple storage warehouse set up to house both retail and production facilities for Moonrise Ridge and Brig & Barq. (Part still stores apples, and you can see crates stacked outside—this is a multi-functional space.) While the taproom is still in the soft-launch phase, the plan is to become a community hang-out with live music and regular food truck offerings. Although these are early days, locals are responding well, and Webb says that as the Windsor area has seen significant population growth of late, people are looking for new spaces to hang out. “We’d love to have live music and make this a hub for the community,” he says.
The Port Pub is being renovated but should open soon as the Port Taproom. It’s always been a pretty spot with a spacious deck overlooking the water. It has a full kitchen that Webb says will be launching a tapas-style appetizer menu that will pair perfectly with their varied beverage offerings. “We’ll have 16 taps in each taproom with our beer, cider, and seltzers. We’ll also have guest taps showcasing other local breweries and cider companies,” he says.
Not quite come from away
If you check the Moonrise Ridge website and other branding, you’ll see that it heavily emphasizes the Webb family’s Nova Scotian roots. Webb’s family arrived in Nova Scotia from Scotland in 1778, and although Webb’s grandfather was born here, his family lived outside the province for more than 100 years. He feels like being able to stake that claim has helped locals welcome him.
Webb was born in Ontario and spent three years teaching English in Japan and travelling in Asia. He spent 25 years as a Boston Pizza franchisee in Kelowna, BC, before moving to Nova Scotia with his wife and kids 11 years ago to start a seafood export company (and still held on to one of the pizza franchises til recently). His kids are now just out of university and have helped out in the past but are at a point in their lives where Webb wants them to go out into the world and try new things before they maybe come work for the family business. He’s delighted to be in Nova Scotia and says it truly did feel like coming home to move here. It’s been interesting to find connections to his ancestry, too.
“We were buying blueberries from a wild blueberry farmer up the Cobequid Pass and he asked my last name, then if I had any relatives around here,” says Webb, “I said, actually I said, my great, great, great grandfather's buried in Westchester Station, which was about 15 minutes away. The farmer was in his late 70s and told me how one of his school teachers was a Webb, so maybe a distant relative there.” The farmer also shared some history about the area. “A bunch of loyalists moved from New York in the 1700s to build a community on the mountain where the blueberry farm was, and the Webbs joined that group,” says Webb, adding that it tickles him to think of his ancestors feasting on the same blueberries that he’s now buying to make his products with.
A future in booze
Talking to Webb, the man clearly loves a challenge, and although this growth has given him a few “sleepless nights,” he is having fun. “Bringing in new staff, training them and having them be a part of the business is exciting,” he explains, “and from the start when we were selling at markets and events I’ve always enjoyed that instant feedback that we get from customers.” This personal contact is something that Webb has always loved about being in the hospitality industry.
He also loves how creative the craft brewing and cider industry is. “In the alcohol world, everyone has different opinions and tastes, and that external input helps grow and shape our business,” he says. Customer feedback at farmers’ markets in their first months of selling cider led to their development of a seltzer product.
When quizzed on whether too many cideries are opening, he feels there’s still room for growth. As for the future of the craft booze industry in Nova Scotia, Webb feels there will be a lot of consolidation between producers, with companies merging or collaborating to reach the volume they need to succeed. “That’s one reason it makes sense for us to have a little bit of everything,” he says.
One issue that all producers who rely on tourism in Nova Scotia face to varying degrees is our disappointingly short tourist season. “It is limiting for those selling product through their own retail spaces. We are planning to keep the taprooms open year-round if we can, we just have to see how that works out,” he says.
After everything Webb has achieved in such a short period, it’s hard to see any alternative to things working out and growing in some new and exciting way.
The Windsor Taproom
834 Windsor Back Rd, Windsor
moonriseridge.ca
