After nearly a decade of sole Bend ownership, Avid Cider was acquired by Michigan-based Blake’s Hard Cider.

A new entity will be formed, Avid Cider Co. LLC, by the two companies. The operational asset sale includes the existing leases, equipment, inventory, recipes, distribution agreements and brand properties, according to a statement from the companies.

Avid was formed in 2013 by Samantha Roberts and Dan McCoy. Avid launched Seven Peaks, a hard seltzer company in 2019, a brand that McCoy will continue to focus on, according to the joint company statement. Roberts will co-own Avid with Andrew Blake. McCoy will be retained as an adviser.

Blake’s also was formed in 2013 and is independently owned and operated on a 1,000-acre orchard in Armada, Michigan, about 35 miles north of Detroit. It is believed to be among the top six cider companies nationally.

“We had been putting out feelers (for a partnership),” said Roberts in an interview Tuesday. “We have a lot of similarities. They are family owned and operate with the same values as we do. That’s what drew us to them.”

The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the 20 employees at Avid Cider will be retained, as will the taphouse at The Box Factory and the Ninth Street production facility, Roberts said.

Avid is distributed mainly in the Pacific Northwest — Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Nevada and California — and Blake’s can be found in 22 states, according to the joint statement.

Blake’s and Avid will produce ciders under their own brand names.

“Blake’s has long been seeking to expand its presence on the West Coast in our pursuit of continuing our cider-making tradition in areas with a great apple growing history,” said Andrew Blake, founder and president of Blake’s Hard Cider. “Avid was looking to expand its presence in the Pacific Northwest.”

Avid, the second-largest cider maker in Oregon, uses Hood River and Yakima apples in its products. The acquisition will enable the two companies to share economies of scale when purchasing supplies and raw materials, Roberts said.

“We started talking to them about synergy,” Roberts said. “We decided it was a good fit. We needed more structure and purchasing power for these crazy times we’re in. It’s hard for the little guy.”

In 2018, Avid Cider was forced to change its name from Atlas after a Washington, D.C., artisanal beer brewer challenged the name alleging the two were too similar. The logo, of a man holding up the world was retained. Avid produces 248,448 gallons of cider a year, and sells about 8,000 barrels in Oregon alone.