Thornbury—Ontario’s apple-growing heritage Thornbury is the largest apple growing region in Ontario today, but this story began in the mid-1800s when immigrants discovered the Niagara Escarpment soil and the water of Nottawasaga Bay was perfect for growing apples.
The Tale of the Cider House Building The Thornbury Craft Co. Cider & Brew House building was originally a wooden apple storage building but was rebuilt with fire-proof concrete after it burnt down in the 1920s. Steam trains would arrive from the harbor in Toronto and return loaded with crates of apples from the original Thornbury building. As storage buildings were built closer to the markets, the building lived through different lives—a flea market, an ammunition storage, and a nuclear fallout shelter during the cold war.
We proudly craft our cider in the midst of 7,500 acres of apple orchards, in the heart of apple country. Our Cider is handcrafted by Doug Johnson, Head Cider Master. To learn more about the Cider process, click the link below.