Page 29 - Cortland County Convention & Visitors Bureau

HOLLENBECK’S CIDER MILL
1265 NY-392, Virgil
(607) 835-6455
www.hollenbeckscidermill.com

HOLLENBECK’S

CIDER MILL

I f your fall traditions include wandering through corn mazes, carving

jack-o’-lanterns, tailgating, and everything pumpkin spice, you’re
in good company. Traditions like these become rich with meaning
when returned to year after year, and families and friends in Cortland
County have one fall tradition that has lived on since 1933: watching
apples getting squeezed to create cider at Hollenbeck’s Cider Mill.

Q&A WITH MATT HOLLENBECK
Matt Hollenbeck makes cider the same way his predecessor and cousin, Bruce
Hollenbeck, made the famous American harvest-time drink—while adding his
own personal touch for future generations to enjoy.

Q: Matt, how did you find your way to Hollenbeck’s Cider Mill?
A: When I came to Bruce, the intention was to learn about small business
ownership because I intended to start a guided bike-touring company. His
succession plan fell through around that time, and I suddenly got the oppor-
tunity to do all these things I dreamt of doing as a child. I got to fulfill all those goals and things that I needed out of life and
work to be satisfied - manual labor, doing different things every day and interacting with people.

Q: What’s your favorite part about working at the Cider Mill?
A: One of my favorite things is the fact that I’m doing different things in different seasons. I’m not eating the same things.
I’m not doing the same tasks. It gets you in rhythm to the passage of time, which sometimes it feels we’ve tried to remove
ourselves from in certain ways.

Q: What is a new product you’re most excited to debut?
A: There are fun, tasty products that we used to make with apples that got lost to time for various reasons. A new product
that we’ll be testing out is boiled cider which is basically “cider syrup.” I have only been able to find two places in the entire
United States that makes boiled cider, and they’ve started making it only the last five years. It’s still a relatively uncommon
product that I find incredibly delicious. It’s a way to preserve the bounty of apples all year long.

Q: How important is it to maintain the tradition that your predecessors built?
A: Coming to get the products from us, that’s the tradition that matters most. There’s always a little kid hanging on the chain
that overlooks the press, and you can hear his parents tell them that when I was your age, your grandparents bought me here to
watch this. There’s not a lot of places where you can go and see your treats being made. You’re watching the whole process,
there’s no magic. The simplicity is what makes it so good.

Q: What’s your favorite apple?
A: Early-season Macs for eating and for cider are just perfect. Northern Spies are a great one as well.
Mac for a two week period early in the fall, and the rest of the time Northern Spy!

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