Cider News
Fort Worth’s first craft cider maker aims to be the apple of your eye
Fort Worth is getting its first hard cider company, set to open in a 1940s-built building at 710 S. Main St. in the Near Southside district. Called Locust Cider, it's a Washington-based brand being brought to Fort Worth by two ex-natives who founded the company in 2015.
Brothers Patrick and Jason Spears founded Locust Cider with the mission of using apples from Washington and trying to make the everyday apple seem more special with innovative spins on classic cider-making methods.
"We primarily use 'cull' apples — those that are not pretty enough or are too small or large to make it to grocery stores, diverting these from destruction because their juice is still great," Jason says in a release.
The Fort Worth cider will be made from Washington State apples, but the brothers will also make small batches of Texas apple-infused ciders, using other ingredients sourced from the Lone Star State such as honey, cherries, vanilla beans, and more. Does Texas have cherries and vanilla beans?
Jason says they're happy to be the first cider in town and will bring a new element to a growing and thriving craft beverage scene.
"In some cities like Seattle there are a dozen or more cideries, and hard cider is an everyday mainstream drink," he says. "Locust wants to open the world of cider to Fort Worth."
Is it too late to ban the word "cidery"? It has to be one of the most cringe-worthy words. Is a place that sells beer called a beery? No. Do you eat at the toastery? No. You eat at the restaurant that serves toasts. Even "ice creamery" is ick. Adding "ery" to words is juvenile. Say no to cidery.
Locust Cider's FW Taproom will be the first tenant located at 710 S. Main, in a building being developed by Fort Worth real estate company M2G Ventures as a place for unique brands, chef-driven dining, and artisanal retailers, with a modern-industrial atmosphere. Construction will begin in winter 2017. There will also be a juice bar.
So that means Locust will open in 2018.
We could stop there, but then you'd miss the full description of M2G, which includes solid-gold words like "holistic," "influencers," "disrupters," and "authentic soul." To wit:
"Founded in 2014, M2G Ventures is a female-owned and -operated company specializing in urban commercial real estate investment and development, as well as strategic landlord and retail consulting for distinctively designed mixed-use properties. Owners are twin sisters Jessica Miller Worman and Susan Miller Gruppi. Propelled by the vision of its co-presidents, the company is built on big dreams and unique grassroots ideals from its holistic experience in real estate development and tenant and landlord representation across the country.
The M2G team is comprised of visionary storytellers who are setting the standard for the fast-growing real estate industry through holistic, innovative property development and raw, industrial designs. The company’s acquisitions are redefining the industry as they curate narratives beyond the building for each investment. M2G Ventures' commitment to revitalizing communities begins with the history and influence of a project's surroundings, exposing the authentic soul through sense of discovery through artistic experiences. M2G's ingenious method of creating visibility of their projects is seen in the unlikely outlet of street art and other creative collaborations with community influencers and organizations.
Seen as disrupters to the traditional method of "business as usual," M2G creates fresh strategic solutions beginning with laying the foundation to customizing vibrant spaces with a distinctive style of design for each project and tenant. M2G Ventures' projects are more than buildings, they are communities built from the roots of genuine investments focused on growth and prosperity through limitless creativity."
