It’s November and we’re proud to announce Talbott’s Cider Company our Member Spotlight. We caught up with Charles Talbott to get their story.
In 1907 our great-great-great grandfather Joseph Evan Yeager pursued his dream of moving west and settled in the high altitude scenic Grand Valley of Colorado’s Western Slope. He was among the early settlers who planted orchards in the Palisade region of the valley. Constructing canals, they delivered Rocky Mountain snowmelt waters to the thirsty mineral rich alluvial soils of the valley floor and surrounding benches and mesas.
Joe’s granddaughter caught the eye of a young cattleman from a neighboring county and upon their marriage, our great-grandmother welcomed Harry Talbott, our great- grandfather and founder of Talbott Farms into the fruit-growing business. Over the decades, our company has continued to expand orchard and vineyard production for markets throughout the nation. In 1983 we constructed our first cider mill in the building that now serves as our Farm Market & Taproom. As production increased in the 1990s, we built a larger cider mill that currently meets production demands.
Talbott’s Cider Company was created by Charles Talbott and Christopher Leader in 2015. Charles was just returning to Palisade from the United States Marine Corps in which he served as an Aviation Mechanic. His passion for fermentation science started in the wall locker of his barracks. Christopher was working as commercial diver for the United States Navy government contract all along the east coast when him and his wife moved to be closer to family in Colorado. Both Charles and Christopher worked for the farm and realized they both passionate homebrewers.
Since the family had been producing cider since the 1980s, they immediately started fermenting hard cider. In about a year of R&D Talbott’s Cider Company was born.
Talbott’s originally started in 3 varieties in 16-ounce cans. The core focus of these ciders is to be produced 100% from fresh pressed juices. There are never from concentrates, no added artificial flavors, and no added colors. We press and package everything on site to maintain those quality standards.
Today we have 4 flagships and 4 seasonals all available in 12-ounce cans and on draft. Our additional craft exists only at our Taproom, where we have a series of small batch ciders including barrel aged, single varietals, ice ciders and much more. They also have participated in many collaborations with breweries across the nation including a can collaboration with Breckenridge Brewery.
The goal for us is to produce the best ciders that we are able too, continue to collaborate and build the industry, and to continue to educate consumers on true craft cider. Cheers!
