The annual celebration of local flavours and the people who create them brought together the elite in British Columbia’s food and beverage industry, while raising proceeds for the BC Children’s Hospital’s Oak Tree Clinic.

2009 is Sea Cider’s third consecutive year of participation in Taste BC, as well as the third consecutive year to place in the judging–this year Silver for Pippins 2008. Raise a glass!!

For complete list of official judging results, please click here.

www.libertywinemerchants.com

Come, raise a glass, and be part of Sea Cider’s inaugural Celebration of All Things Apple!

On September 27th, 2009 Sea Cider invites the community to celebrate the fruits of the fall and most especially, one of our very favorites– the apple! Come enjoy the view, live music, cider, nibblies, photos and fall at our cidery on the Saanich Peninsula.

We are inviting submissions from the island’s many talented photographers for our friendly photo competition, which will kick off our fall exhibition in our mezzanine gallery.

Theme: The Apple. That’s right–as in the one that caused all the ruckus in the Garden. As in the fruit of those enduring and maternal old trees everyone loves to hang swings from. As in Pie. And of course…cider! The humble apple has many, many personal and historical associations. This exhibition invites submissions which illustrate any and all aspects of the apple, from candied ones, forbidden ones, to the “crabby” ones!

Short on subject matter but not inspiration? We invite you and your camera for a shoot out to the cidery, any day up until September 22nd (please see important dates for times). So strengthen up your shooting arm, eat your veggies, go to town (er, rather, Sea Cider), and have a ball.

Eligibility: The exhibition is open to both amateur and professional photographers. Sea Cider invites photographers working in all mediums, styles and schools of thought to participate in its exhibition. Experimental and mixed techniques are welcome.

Categories: Amateur and Professional.

Entry Fee: There is no entry fee for Sea Cider’s inaugural community apple day.

Acceptance Notification: Keeping with the fall spirit of a country fair, all submissions will be accepted for judging (however, all decisions as to suitability for exhibition remain at the sole discretion of Sea Cider). Winning images will be posted on Sea Cider’s website, along with credit to the artist and link to website if applicable.

Exhibit Prints: Sea Cider encourages framed images with a bright white mat and a black wooden frame. We recognizes that some work is non traditional and incorporates the framing as an integral part of the presentation. All accepted images submitted for exhibition must be printed and framed or mounted professionally, and include a title with artist’s name and contact information. Preferred image size: 8×10.

Important Dates:

September1-September 22nd: All photographers interested in shooting at Sea Cider are welcome any day of the week between 9:30am-12 pm through Sept 22nd. We simply ask that you be sensitive to the day to day running of the tasting room and production.

Deadline for Submissions is 6pm, September 23rd, 2009. Please drop off prints (along with a digital file if possible) between 10:30 am and 6pm Monday through Sunday.

Judging is on September 27th. Entries will be judged on composition as well as creativity at 12 noon.

Exhibition and Awards: All entries will be on display for guests at our community Celebration Of All Things Apple on September 27th, and carry on through October 30thin Sea Cider’s mezzanine gallery. We typically host a few hundred guests throughout the day at our events. Gallery open to the general public during tasting hours Wednesday until Sunday, 11-6pm.

Prizes will be awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in both categories, as well as have their images posted on Sea Cider’s website (artist’s recognition and contact information will provided with any use of images). A tasting afternoon at the cidery will be awarded to the entry favored for the People’s Choice award.

Waiver of Liability

Reasonable care will be taken to ensure safe handling of submitted work, but insurance for loss, damage or theft of submissions is the sole responsibility of the

artist. Sea Cider assumes no responsibility for any loss of or damage to any materials received, however caused.

Use Rights:

By submitting work, artists grant Sea Cider the right to use images of the works for the purpose of marketing Sea Cider, its events, gallery and/or exhibitions without further contact or any compensation from Sea Cider. Artist’s recognition will be provided with all uses.

Contact: Dionne Jennings dionne@seacider.ca 250 544 4824

By Roszan Holmen – Saanich News
Published: July 02, 2008 8:00 AM

When Kristen Jordan opened her organic cidery last year, she knew her product wouldn’t grow to rival Molson Canadian.

Armed with degrees in economics and environmental management, she calculated that hers could only be a niche market – those willing to pay a premium for a quality product using nothing but the best cider apples.

While her orchard in Central Saanich is still young, she expects to harvest 10,000 pounds of apples this year. That number should triple by next year and she hopes to grow her business as her trees mature.

The certified organic labels, however, don’t come easy.

“The challenge in the orchard means there’s no quick fix and it means there’s a lot more manual labour in terms of weeding,” Jordan says.

Growing apples without pesticides or herbicides costs about twice as much as growing regular apples.

Producing organic cider means avoiding all non-organic additives and preservatives. “Big commercial industries, they just used culled fruit and it doesn’t matter how bruised it is and how rotten it is, it’ll just go into a big crusher,” Jordan says.

Sea Cider Farm and Ciderhouse must avoid apples with rot and cut out any bruises by hand, Jordan adds. “We don’t use any chemicals to kill those type of infections that can taint the entire cider batch.”

Despite the cost, she’s confident there’s a demand for her product. Last year the cidery sold about 1,000 cases, prompting the Saanich Peninsula Chamber of Commerce to select the fledgling company best new business for 2007.

While only a niche market for now, organic and other sustainable businesses will reach a wider consumer demographic, predicts Mike Valente, a University of Victoria assistant business professor with a focus on sustainability.

As demand for organic produce rises, organic farmers will be able to create economies of scale, he says. With lower costs, prices will also drop, making products more accessible to the mainstream.

Valente also predicts that with more education about the health and environmental benefits of organic produce, more people will make the switch.

The interest is evident in his own department. UVic has one of the only business departments with mandatory classes in sustainability. The response, says Valente, has been overwhelmingly positive. “We’re bombarded with students trying to find out how they get involved in a career with sustainability.”

rholmen@saanichnews.com