Cider mill opens with weekly early music jams near Ellsworth

Lina Portman3 weeks ago

0 2 minutes read

A new cidery on Route 1 is offering Ellsworth-area residents its own fruit-based adult beverages and a place to enjoy them.

Mathias Kamin and Anne Bryant opened Bon Vent Cider in Hancock in May in a former antique store. The duo hopes that if you come to buy cider made on site, you will linger to spend time with others and listen to or play along with weekly old-time music in their tasting room.

The company builds on the expansion of craft breweries that have become popular local gathering spots across the state in recent years. This aims to push the concept of a feeling of belonging further. They pick and use only apples and pears that grow in Maine, often on private property where landowners have little use for the fruit.

Kamin, an experienced cider maker from upstate New York who moved to Maine a half-dozen years ago, said he was surprised at how few cider makers there are here. He got a job at Fogtown Brewing in Ellsworth helping them develop a line of cider and fruit wines. He then worked for about two years at Shalom Orchards in Franklin.

Along the way, he explored Hancock County and other areas of Maine, learning where hundreds of apple and pear trees were located and introducing himself to landowners. He developed relationships with many. In exchange for sharing his time and knowledge with them, he would identify which apples were good for cider. He was allowed to harvest them for little or no money.

“I’ve knocked on a lot of doors over the last five years,” Kamin said. “These steps are the price I pay.”

Kamin, who is also a musician and carpenter, said he was considering taking a break from the beverage business. Bryant, a friend, helped convince him not to do it. They decided to partner in their own cider company.

Bryant, a wooden boat enthusiast and trained videographer, focused on finding a name. “Bon vent” means “good wind” in French and is a nod both to his love of sailing and to Kamin’s high school experience in France, where he first learned how to make sail. cider.

Bryan and Kamin said they are intentionally a small business, primarily focused on making good, locally produced cider rather than developing a brand. They have a strong sense of connection to coastal Hancock County and want to strengthen that connection with locally produced beverages and a place where people can gather to enjoy them.

“The product is magnificent. People come in. They’re happy,” Bryant said. “That's enough.”