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Hard cider is seeing a resurgence in 2025 and the category gained traction during "National Cider Month" in Oct. That's a self-proclaimed seasonal holiday spearheaded and championed by Schilling Cider most of all, but its popularity is spreading this yr, including the first time that American Cider Association took part in celebrations, with over 215 cideries participating, 220+ events hosted, increased sampling efforts and "the most buy-in from major retailers outside of the PNW" where hard cider's more developed, Schilling COO Eric Phillips highlighted in recent chat with CBN. Schilling alone hosted over 150 sampling events in Oct, both at retail and thru increased presence at GABF, now "our largest sampling event of the year." It had 6 pieces of dedicated press coverage featuring Schilling in Oct including 3 on local TV, double the participation in its sweepstakes promo vs last yr and various influencer collabs. Cider sales grew 5% for latest 4 wks thru Nov 2 in Circana multi-outlet + convenience, improving to nearly +2% on $$ and volume for the year in these channels. The segment gained 0.1 share of total beer $$ and volume for the 4-wk period as beer/FMB/cider collectively declined 4.5% by $$ and -5.8% by volume. "The last week of October was the 2nd best week of cider sales for the year, only behind" July 4 holiday week, Eric underscored. Every region saw cider $$ growth, including Great Lakes up 1.2%, West and Northwest up 2.6%, Mid South +4.2%, South Central +11% and Southeast +15%. Kroger's hard cider biz grew 3% and Albertsons group grew cider 1.5% for 4 wks. Whole Foods, the earliest adopter of natl cider mo among large chain retailers, saw its cider biz grow 1.3% by $$ with volume up 3% YTD thruout its footprint, and featured 127 SKUs from 62 different cider brands in Oct, 20 of which that were local to the specific store, Whole Foods senior category merchant Samantha Fletcher highlighted in released statement.Gotta note, big reason for the segment's uptick continues to be Angry Orchard, which has been growing at a double-digit clip nationally since August in tracked off-prem channels. Angry Orchard still represents over 1/3 of $$ sales (38 share of volume) for the category. For 4 wks, Angry Orchard was the 30th largest beer/FMB/cider brand family by $$ and posted the 4th biggest $$ gain in Circana MULC behind only Michelob, Pacifico and White Claw. But all other ciders collectively grew nearly 1% for the year too, gaining share of total beer even as they lose share of cider to AO. Regional cidery growth is a little more mixed this yr, but many cos are still gaining ground.Schilling's Record Mo in Oct; Standout Growth in AZ, CO, ID, VA; Excelsior Imperial Apple 6pks Up 22.5% for 26 Wks; "Intentional" Portfolio Moves That includes Schilling Cider posting its "best month ever" in Oct, including co's best mos in CO with Coors Dist, AZ with Crescent Crown, ID with Hayden, and VA with Blue Ridge and Reyes' Premium Dist. For latest 4 wks thru Nov 2 in Circana channels, Schilling grew 15% in AZ and cider category rose 1% while total beer slipped 7%. In CO scans, Schilling grew 18% and cider category soared 23.5% vs total beer down 3.9% for period. And in ID, Schilling grew 12% and cider grew 9% vs total beer down 3%. Schilling's largest distrib, Columbia in WA & OR, and Reyes' Golden Brands in CA also had "an incredible month," Eric shouted out. Its lead brand Excelsior Imperial Apple remains the #1 craft cider SKU nationally and still growing 22.5% over the last 26 wks thru Nov 2 in Circana MULC. For last 4 wks, Excelsior Imperial Apple grew 12% with 6pks up 8%, 19.2s up 64% and 12pks up 17% nationally.At the same time, total Schilling Cider growth slowed in scans thruout this yr, up just slightly for the year. Big reason for that is conscious decision not to innovate over the last 18-mo stretch, Eric noted. That was "intentional" in order to get more of "the right items in the right places," with flagship Excelsior as chief example. Plus, beer/cider scan data isn't capturing all of its growth from newer items and hard lemonade brand that's captured with wine category in some datasets. And after the longer stretch with no innovation, Schilling's working on a new line of ciders coming late this yr.Blake's, 2 Towns Up 10-11% YTD in Natl Foodstores; Blake's 2 Mil Cases/Yr; Other Standout Gains While Schilling is helping to pave the way for natl cider mo, Blake's Beverage and 2 Towns continue to stand out as top regional cider gainers this yr. In natl Circana foodstores, they've maintained positions as top-25 suppliers among all beer/FMB/cider cos. Both Blake's and 2 Towns are up low double digits for the year with Blake's up 11% to $20.9 mil and 2 Towns up 10% to $20.3 mil YTD thru Nov 2. Growth is primarily driven by cider, tho 2 Towns' non-alc cider is also contributing to the growth, and Blake's Bev has various RTDs in the mix. So it ain't all cider. But impressively, Blake's sells 2 mil cases/yr all-channel across 35 states and has 128 employees across Blake's, Austin Eastciders and Avid operations. That's ~145K bbls/yr give or take, putting Blake's portfolio nearly as big as Duvel USA, and among the top 15 largest indie craft suppliers in the country. While Angry Orchard, Blake's and 2 Towns are the top growth fams in scans this yr, several others are posting strong double digit gains or better too. Golden State, Incline (despite battling with Schilling in court), Beak & Skiff 1911, Portland, Tieton and Stowe were among the larger fams up low double digits, and Potter's, Magners, Atlanta, Stem, Humboldt and Yonder are several more growing even faster.Goal to Build Natl Cider Mo Into a Known Natl Program by All Retailers & Distribs by Oct 2027; Over 215 Cideries Since starting the push for natl cider mo 3 yrs ago, Eric and co's goal has been to build it into "a known national program" by major retailers and distrib partners across the country by Oct 2027. To get the Krogers, Walmarts, Albertson/Safeways and other major outlets of the country "on board," "understand[ing]" the proposition and preparation "the same way" they do for Oktoberfest season and holiday releases, "driving displays," said Eric. "I want us as a cider community to be pushing toward that," and working with the ACA helps add to that collective voice. There's been "more buy-in from outer markets" and "more cideries bought in too," he added, with over 215 cideries participating this yr. Schilling's "not trying to do this alone" and the success in chains this yr to him means "national cider month is working." So "mark your calendar."

Natl Cider Mo Gaining More Traction in 2025 as Category Keeps Growin'; Schilling's Best Mo Ever; Other Regional Standouts

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