Co-owner Adrianne Baumann fills a growler with grape cider at Legend Cider Co. in La Pine. 

When Legend Cider moved to La Pine, the company founders weren’t sure if there would be enough customers to support the business.

But nearly five years later, the cider company is tripling its size and moving into its permanent home on Bluewood Avenue, said Adrianne Baumann, Legend Cider Co. co-owner.

Like many others, Baumann moved to Central Oregon for the lifestyle and the affordability for a new business startup. Central Oregon has more than three dozen cider companies, according to Visit Bend. And like craft beer, craft cider has found its niche in the Pacific Northwest and is growing.

“Cider is definitely growing across the country,” said Emily Ritchie, Northwest Cider Association executive director. “We represent cider companies in Montana, Oregon, Washington and Idaho.”

Many of the companies are small craft companies, Ritchie said. In the past year there’s been a 10% growth rate in sales over the past decade, except for 2020, when pandemic-related restrictions were imposed. Generally cider is considered an agricultural product and is known for its fruited flavors.

Consumers like to know where their beverages come from and like to support local farms, Ritchie said. In Portland, people are drinking more cider per capita than anywhere else in the country, she said. Consumer demand is driving more growth in the cider industry, she said. When the association started in 2010 it was formed with seven members. Now there are more than 200 members producing cider in the Pacific Northwest, she said.

For Baumann and her husband, Tyler, creating craft cider at Legend Cider in La Pine was a way to create something that was their own. They had no experience in the cider business. Their expansion is being fueled by a small hired staff and their own muscle.

They moved to La Pine in 2018 and planned to just produce cider, but it quickly became apparent that people wanted a space to drink the cider and hang out, Baumann said.

“My husband and I are small-town kids,” Baumann said. “We’re attracted to make a difference in a small town. We found the rent reasonable.”

The company has about 200 members in a mug club that entitles each to a 20-ounce pour for the price of a 16-ounce pour, and gives discounts for other items, Baumann said. Legend also has a taphouse in Talent that the Baumanns opened in 2022.

“We had been expanding in our existing building, but we’ve pushed the limit,” Baumann said. “With parking restrictions and all, we felt if we moved the business to the heart of La Pine that’s in walking distance to new homes, we could maintain and expand our outdoor concept.”

The expansion will enable Legend to update its system to two 100-barrel brewing systems. Baumann said the business is self-funded and any profits are poured back in.

“A lot of people in La Pine have a lot of pride,” Baumann said. “We are providing a place for them to bring their out-of-town guests to in their hometown. We’re really excited about it. The new space has acreage around it for outdoor events.”

Patricia Lucas, Sunriver La Pine Economic Development executive director, worked with Legend to relocate and triple its space, working to find financing and assist the company in its growth. The cider company hopes to open in its new 9,400-square-foot location in the spring.

“The move requires an investment in plant renovations and with new equipment,” Lucas said. “It will result in three new jobs being added to their existing workforce. The goal is create a destination location for the local community and region.”

Having outdoor space saved Bend’s Avid Cider Co. during the pandemic. Its location at the old Box Factory on SW Industrial Way provides year-round outdoor space for families and dog owners, said Sam Roberts, co-founder and CEO of Avid Cider.

Founded in 2012, Avid formed a partnership with craft cider company Blake’s Hard Cider in Michigan in June. The partnership provides Avid with shared back -of-the-house opportunities, like accounting, and stronger buying power because of the volume.

“Cider drinks like beer, in a casual social situation, but it’s not beer,” said Roberts. “Growing Avid, we are focusing on the Pacific Northwest. We’re located in the largest area of cider drinkers in the nation.”

Avid plans to maintain its tap room in the Box Factory and its production facility at Ninth Street and Wilson Avenue. This year to accommodate growth, Avid will boost its marketing and sales team and then its production, Roberts said.

There’s so much room to grow, said Kelly Roark, co-owner founder of Bend Cider. Similar to the vast varieties of wines on the market, cider businesses can produce craft products using apples from specific areas. Some cider companies purchase the apple juice to ferment, others, like Roark, are using the fruit from their own orchards for their estate cider.

“The industry started out as micro-crafted from the vineyards,” Roark said. “There’s tons of room in that realm. We have a lot of guidance, but not a lot of mentors. Unfortunately there’s no older generation of cider makers to tap into, unlike the wine industry. “