We Grow Cider
Our Story
Swigart Farms is a family-owned experimental farm nestled in the valley of Lammes Creek, a tributary of the Little Miami River, 2 miles north of the town of Bellbrook, in Greene County, Ohio. We were established in 2015 to identify, propagate, cultivate, evaluate, and commercialize strange and interesting plants.
After many years of trial and error, we have narrowed our focus to the propagation and cultivation of heirloom American, English, and Spanish cider apple varieties. Our varietal selection is carefully tailored to produce thoughtful, well-balanced blends and robust, expressive single varietals.
Our LAND
Swigart Farms operates two orchard blocks, both of which feed apples into the cider operation we call SugarCreek Ciderworks.
The first orchard block is situated on the south-facing slope above Lammes Creek. This orchard sits atop a layer of Devonian Limestone overlaid with 8 feet of Miamian Silt-Loam soil. Planted in 2019, the Lammes Creek site is comprised of Golden Russet, Winesap, Hewe’s Crab, Arkansas Black, Ashmead Kernal, Michelin, Harrison, Black Twig, and Kingston Black. We grow freestanding trees on M111, B118, G890, and G210 semistandard rootstocks, training into both Central Leader and modified French Axe shapes.
Our second orchard, planted in 2024, is located 5 miles to the East of Lammes Creek, on the bluff overlooking the Little Miami River.
Our Methods
Our orchard management philosophy is simple, and reflects our approach in the cellar: minimal intervention. We believe in the power of ecosystem management, and seek to create a b high degree of sanitation,
We grow freestanding trees on M111, B118, G890, and G210 semistandard rootstocks, training into both Central Leader and modified French Axe shapes.
Our Ciders
Our apples are processed into cider at our SugarCreek Ciderworks facility just yards from the primary orchard site. We are a fruit-first ciderhouse producing estate-grown, small-batch, hand-crafted table ciders.. We favor slow, cold, minimal-intervention fermentations in steel and wood, targeting clean flavor profiles in which fruit characteristics are allowed to dominate.
The results are complex but highly drinkable ciders with immediately recognizable terroir that pair well with a wide variety of dishes.
