PASA has been awarded grant funds from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) to assess the status of small to mid-size cider press operations in the state.

These funds will be used to look at small apple cider processing facilities, while providing educational and marketing opportunities to support portions of the industry.

According to federal law, producers who sell apple cider wholesale must pasteurize their cider and juice. Producers who sell directly to consumers are not required to treat their products, but must label the product with a warning statement. To comply with new regulations, many producers found they will have (or had) to invest $30,000(+) on pasteurization equipment, plus several thousand more per year in maintenance and record keeping. This may seem an insurmountable cost to many small and mid-sized cider presses. The purpose of this project is to determine whether this change in regulations has impacted, for better or for worse, the financial viability of small- and mid-sized cider producers.

Our goal is to provide PDA with the information necessary to assist cider press operators to successfully make the transition to comply with federal regulations. Our recommendations may include the need to support fruit grower cooperatives, provide more grant and loan opportunities, or offer legal counseling to operations that may not otherwise seek or be able to afford it. In the end, for cider press operators and fruit growers, it is our hope that PDA will be understood as playing a supportive, not regulatory role, which should result in more compliance among producers.

Read the Final Report here.

For more information about this project, contact Michele Gauger at 814-349-9856 or e-mail michele@pasafarming.org.