According to Lindsay Dorrier III, Senior Brand Manager for Bold Rock Hard Cider, opening Bold Rock’s Mills River location is a great connection with North Carolina’s agriculture and apples. 

Originally founded in Virginia in 2012, Bold Rock’s brand grew quickly, and in 2014, leadership had to choose whether to expand in Virginia or establish a presence in a new community to nurture brand awareness, according to Dorrier. 

Co-founders John Washburn and Brian Shanks worked together to craft cider and establish the brand, and Dorrier said that Washburn had vacationed near Asheville as a child and was aware of the apple farms as well as the craft beverage scene in the area. This knowledge encouraged the team to take a look at WNC as an option for the new location, and as they did, Dorrier said that Washburn knew he wanted to be in the epicenter of the region’s apples.

While Bold Rock does its best to source its apples locally, there is usually a mix, and sometimes brokerage and costs do not allow for exclusivity due to the large scale of their business, according to Dorrier. He said that there are so many ways the apples are utilized in the area, and hard cider is just one of those., 

Bold Rock’s Mills River location has an equal rate of visitation by locals and tourists alike, according to Dorrier. He said business is driven by and large by locals, and they are also seeing emerging tourism groups and bachelorette groups coming in. With close to $2 million in annual revenue in 2020, approximately 75,000 people visited the Mills River facility that year. 

The Mills River location has the capacity to produce around 850,000 cases per year, and according to Dorrier, last year produced more than 600,000 cases. With a total company output of 1.2 million cases sold between both production locations, this makes Bold Rock the largest regional craft cider in the country, and the sixth largest craft beverage produced in the state of North Carolina.

Bold Rock’s Mills River location employs about 40 full time staff in their facility between operations, administrative positions, and tap room staff. Dorrier said there are about 15 additional part-time staff.

“There is such a supportive and wonderful staff there, and we are excited to see where the brand heads as we move into the future,” Dorrier said. “Mills River is key to the growth of the Bold Rock brand, and we are happy to share the fresh product and the connection to the area’s apples and agriculture. We’re loving that we are demystifying a craft beverage product and introducing folks to how good a craft cider can taste.”

In 2020, Bold Rock Hard Cider was acquired by Artisanal Brewing Ventures, an umbrella company that also owns several northern brands, according to Dorrier. He said this allows for more access to resources such as cans, helps with better pricing for certain items, and has helped open new tap room spaces. It also allowed the company to reinvest in better equipment such as an improved filtration system, which decreases waste and increases efficiency in processing.

“The timing was impeccable,” Dorrier said. “The acquisition provided access to support and resources that helped us to weather the pandemic. The acquisition wouldn’t have happened if it didn’t happen before Covid, and it really put us in a better position to face the challenges that were presented.”

Budweiser of Asheville is Bold Rock’s distributor, and Dorrier said the distribution company has really helped them grow as a commodity and a respected high-volume brand. “We have a number of phenomenal local retailers like Tupelo Honey and Ingles as key partners,” he said. “Our distributor offers a constant connection to the retail environment. They also believe in our brand and are passionate about our brand.”

Mills River is emerging as its own little hub of the craft beverage industry between Asheville and Hendersonville, according to Dorrier. “The number of breweries there makes it a more attractive area for some people,” he said. “When looking at places to visit around the region, folks are marking it on their itinerary.”

Dorrier said that it is awesome to have this critical mass of energy in a small geographic location, and the best days are ahead for the area. “There becomes a tipping point where it really starts to drive the economy in a more meaningful way,” he said. “It’s symbiotic with the tourism industry, really drawing people into the area.”