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With Ginger’s Revenge adding its second location within sight of Urban Orchard Cider Co., it got Xpress thinking about the area’s other nonbeer alcoholic beverage producers and what happened to one of its newest additions.

Intrepid imbibers may likewise have noticed the absence of Daidala Ciders, which launched in Asheville in 2017 and added a taproom in the Cotton Mill Studios the following year. Billed as a “nomadic cidery,” which allowed founder Chris Heagney to make imaginative, small-batch ciders on regional collaborators’ equipment to keep costs low, Daidala doubled down on that concept in September 2020, when Heagney moved back to Portland, Ore.

“Like many, Daidala made a pivot in the way the business operated during the pandemic,” Heagney says. “For me, it was closing the retail space and focusing solely on distribution. Although it was sad to say goodbye to the cider bar, it was the right decision to make, and it opened the door to other opportunities.”

While he traded one culturally rich city for another, Heagney nevertheless misses Asheville’s access to high-quality food, drinks and outdoor activities, as well as its diverse array of music venues and independent movie theaters. He’s also sad to miss out on Ciderfest NC this October but is enjoying the perks of returning to the town where he learned the cider side of fermentation nearly a decade ago at Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider.

“In many ways, [Portland is] still one of the most exciting places to make cider in the country,” Heagney says. “There are many people making fantastic ciders from heirloom apples and fruit that has been bred specifically for cider making. There are also the hopped ciders, the wild cider and plenty of great fruited ciders. There’s a lot of enthusiasm for the craft in the Pacific Northwest.”

The collaborative nature of Daidala has led to Heagney working with numerous cideries and breweries in the region, each time adjusting his recipes and processes in consideration of the equipment available at the host site. Along the way, Heagney has made several new ciders in Portland, as well as some classics that were carried over from Asheville.

“I’ve tweaked recipes like Carolina Twang — now Cascadian Twang — which now includes hops to accompany the strong grapefruit character,” he says. “I’ve also done other variations on the sour/gose-style ciders that we’ve made in the past.”

Additionally, Heagney has been assisting Kenyan Originals, a cider company in Kenya, with production strategies and recipe development. “I never imagined that cider would take me to East Africa,” he says. “It has been a wonderful experience traveling around the country and working with fresh ingredients that are not readily available in the U.S., such as passionfruit and cardamom.”

Though Heagney doesn’t have plans to distribute to Asheville in the near future, he’d like to eventually add the area back to the company’s sales network. (“I would love any excuse to spend more time in North Carolina,” he says.) Until then, he’s navigating the unpredictability of supply chain and logistical obstacles that come with a focus on distribution, working through everything from extended lead times for label printing to increases in ingredient prices while maintaining his love for the craft.

“New goals include expanding into new markets and working on offering new products,” he says. “Developing new ciders has always been a large part of Daidala’s operation — it keeps our customers engaged and preserves my passion for creativity and cider making.”

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