This Friday, Indiana Beverage hosted Vander Mill Ciders for an afternoon full of refreshing drinks and good conversation.
Indiana Beverage welcomed Paul Vander Heide, owner and founder of Vander Mill Ciders, for a tasting at their headquarters in Valparaiso.
Sales representatives and retailers were greeted with a variety of hard ciders, like the Blue Gold, a mix of Michigan apples and blueberries, and Vander Mill’s famous Hard Apple, a unique blend of delicious Michigan apples.
“We produce products that represent the qualities found in fruit,” Vander Heide said. “So that means our ciders tend to be a little drier than a lot of other brands because the juicy, fruity and acidic qualities you would find in a lot of fruit is what we focus on when making our beverages.”
Founded by Vander Heide and his wife, Amanda, in 2006, Vander Mill Ciders has grown from a small, family owned company that sold cider and donuts to one whose crisp hard ciders can be found throughout the Midwest.
“The Chicago market has been great to us and we’re one of the first on the scene there,” Vander Heide explained. “So now you can find our products in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and as of just last year, Wisconsin.”
Even though the company has grown exponentially in the last decade, Vander Heide and his team worked hard to create refreshing and mouthwatering beverages that still have that local, family owned feel.
“We have a story we want to tell and a passion for making delicious ciders. We may not have all of the resources that big corporations might have, but the story we’re telling is genuine and people want to hear it.”
This could easily be said for everyone who attended the tasting Friday afternoon. Guests picked from a list of different ciders, including the popular Hard Apple and Blue Gold, the Totally Roasted, the Ginger Peach and the Fluff.
“The most consistent compliment we receive is that our ciders are so different from other ones,” Vander Heide said. “I have people tell me they’ve never tried cider before because they thought it would be too sweet. But when they tried ours, it was a product that they loved because it wasn’t overwhelmingly sweet.”
Jung Lee, Brand Manager for Indiana Beverage, had similar praises for Vander Mill Ciders.
“With companies like Vander Mill Ciders, they’re known for their great ingredients and quality and they have a great reputation,” Lee explained.
Jeff Leetz, Indiana Beverage's Vice President was equally excited about having Vander Mill aboard.
“We approached Paul a few years ago about partnering up, and we’re very happy we did,” said Jeff Leetz, Vice President of Indiana Beverage. “Paul’s a great guy and it’s been really great working with him.”
Founded in 1939, Indiana Beverage is a family owned company that has been dedicated to distributing quality products around Northern Indiana. Indiana Beverage continued that dedication when it partnered with Vander Mills Cider three years ago and since then the two companies have cultivated a professional and personal relationship.
“Working with another family owned company like Indiana Beverage is great because we always work with great people,” Vander Heide said fondly.
“They’re passionate about quality ingredients and products like we are, so we know we will always be on the same page.”
For more information on Vander Mill Ciders, go to their website at www.vandermill.com and go to www.indianabev.com for more information on Indiana Beverage.
