Only ciders made with 100% Ontario grown apples carry the Drink Ontario ApplesTM trademark. This symbol is your guarantee that the cider you are enjoying is made in Ontario with apples grown in your backyard as the first, and sometimes only, ingredient.
Participating Drink Ontario Apples partners are dedicated to making craft cider from 100% Ontario-grown apples. We have extensive roots in Ontario as growers and artisans with a passion for turning locally grown apples into delicious ciders. Looking for the Drink ON Apples mark when buying cider helps our partners to fulfil their goal to be stewards of the land, taking care to preserve our heritage for future generations. We are often family run and independently owned. Most importantly, we are passionate about making craft cider using some of the best apples in the world, from right here in Ontario.
Ontario apple growers produce many well-known varieties, like Honeycrisp and MacIntosh, as well as many lesser-known varieties grown just for cider, like Dabinett and Kingston Black. Ontario has 16, 000 acres within the province’s major apple-producing areas spread along the shores of Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, Lake Huron, and Georgian Bay. These large, deep bodies of water moderate spring and fall temperatures, protecting the crop, while Ontario’s cool climate ripens apples with intense flavour, vibrancy, and crisp acidity – perfect for creating delicious apple cider.
Ontario apple growers and cidermakers work in partnership to showcase the best of Ontario grown fruit. Growers produce a wide range of apples that are used by cidermakers to produce many different styles of cider. Ciders featuring the DrinkON Apples logo may be sweet or dry, cloudy, unfiltered, or completely clear. Cidermakers might also add unique and interesting flavours using Canadian sourced fruits, such as blueberries or raspberries, herbs, spices, or botanicals such as elderflower or hops, or other natural flavourings such as maple syrup or local honey. These combinations provide an endless possibility of flavour when it comes to ciders featuring the DrinkON Apples logo.
Cider and cidermaking in Ontario have a rich history dating back to the arrival of European settlers in the 17th century. These early settlers brought apple seeds and saplings with them, establishing the first orchards in the province. Apples quickly became a staple crop, and cider, a practical and popular beverage, was made by fermenting apple juice.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, cider production flourished in Ontario. It was a common household activity, with families making their own cider for personal consumption. The abundance of apple varieties, including heritage types like the Northern Spy and Russet, provided diverse flavours for different styles and types of cider production. Did you know that in 1811, John McIntosh found the first McIntosh apple tree, growing wild on his farm? It’s a truly Ontario apple that can make a truly 100% Ontario cider.
The early 20th century saw a decline in cider production due to several factors, including the rise of beer and wine, urbanization, and Prohibition (yes! there was Prohibition in Ontario, from 1916-1927). Many traditional orchards were abandoned or converted to other crops. But that wasn’t the end of the story…
Today, cider is making a comeback! With a seven-fold increase over the past five years, craft cider made with 100% Ontario apples is the fastest growing category of alcoholic beverages in Ontario. With a renewed emphasis on locally sourced food, our shared agricultural heritage, and artisanal products, Ontarians are rediscovering cider as a part of our heritage.
And Ontarians have lots of styles and flavours to choose from. Ontario’s cider industry is diverse, ranging from small, family-run orchards to more urban-focused operations. Many Ontario cideries focus on using locally sourced apples, emphasizing the importance of terroir – the unique environmental factors that affect the taste of the cider. The Drink Ontario Apples logo is your assurance that all of the apples used to make your cider were grown right here, in Ontario.
Ciders with the Drink Ontario Apples logo are found in the LCBO and supermarkets across the province, but don’t forget that Ontario’s cideries often offer tasting rooms and tours, allowing visitors to experience the cidermaking process firsthand and purchase directly from the producer. With a combination of traditional craftsmanship and modern innovation, Ontario’s cider industry continues to grow, attracting both local enthusiasts and international acclaim.
Drink Ontario Apples™ is a dedicated promotion program sponsored by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness. The program and its logo will help consumers identify apple cider products made with 100% Ontario Apples with a concise and clear call to action to “Drink Ontario Apples”.
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