FISHBACK & STEPHENSON IS A SMALL INDEPENDENT CIDERY OWNED AND OPERATED BY FOUR FRIENDS.
WE STARTED BACK IN THE SUMMER OF 2013
WALKING DOWN DIRT ROADS, HOPPING FENCES,
AND WANDERING THROUGH ABANDONED AND NOT SO ABANDONED FIELDS LOOKING FOR WILD APPLES.

WE STARTED WITH A JUICER IN THE KITCHEN
AND THEN SAVED UP ENOUGH MONEY TO BUY AN ANTIQUE APPLE PRESS OF CRAIGSLIST FOR 40 BUCKS.
THAT WAS A LOT OF MONEY AT THE TIME.
WE WERE PRETTY PROUD OF IT.

WE EXPERIMENTED WITH
GARBAGE DISPOSALS,
SHOP PRESSES,
WOODCHIPPERS,
REPURPOSED WASHING MACHINES,
A CUSTOM FABRICATED SCREW PRESS ON ALI BABA THAT WE RAN UNTIL THE HAMMERS FLEW OFF,
AND THEN WE BOUGHT A BELT FILTER PRESS FROM A ONE ARMED MAN IN MINNESOTA.

OH YEAH, AND THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF APPLES. 

THESE DAYS OUR CIDERY SITS ON 33 ACRES OF LAND
RIGHT OUTSIDE THE SMALL IOWAN TOWN THAT WE ALL GREW UP IN.
WE HAVE TWO ORCHARDS WHERE WE GROW
BOTH NATIVE IOWAN PRAIRIE CRAB APPLES AND VINTAGE ENGLISH CIDER TREES,
IN ADDITION WE ALSO SOURCE APPLES FROM SOME OF THE FINEST ORCHARDS IN THE UNITED STATES.
THE CHAMPLAIN VALLEY IN NEW YORK AND THE YAKIMA VALLEY IN WASHINGTON STATE.