Bringing Cider to Brewery District
Windfall cider opens in North Vancouver’s Brewery District
The first cidery in Brewery District has landed. Windfall joins the many excellent breweries occupying the Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood, and will be offering people an awesome array of craft ciders.
For the husband and wife duo of Jeff and Nathaly Nairn, opening their own space has been a long time coming. For the past few years they’ve leased production spaces from Central City Brewing and Settlement Brewing. During their residency at these breweries they learned the ropes on quality control, packaging, lab work, and more. Most importantly, they honed their cider-making skills. Jeff and Nathaly dialed in Windfall’s core recipes, and got creative with seasonals like Sweater Weather. They also used this period to test the market to see if there was a strong demand for their product. As it turns out, there most certainly is.
Fast forward to Fall 2020—when a space became available on Esplanade next door to the likes of House of Funk and Beere Brewing, they jumped at it. Going from a low overhead operation to leasing their own building was a huge risk (especially during a pandemic) but Jeff and Nathaly knew that a space with the right bones, high foot traffic potential, room to grow, an epic view, and room for a future patio, are rare.
The Windfall team spent the better part of 2021 building their new cidery. They worked with a local contractor well-versed in micro-brewery builds, tapped on the shoulders of industry friends for helpful insights, and figured out a lot on their own. The result is a stylish, efficient space that feels approachable yet far from amateur.
Windfall’s opening will be a phased approach. For phase one, they have a bottle and merch shop, just in time for the holiday season. Cider-wise, you’ll find a solid assortment that includes their canned cores (Jackpot, Hail Mary, Wild Card) and bottled seasonals (Lost and Found, Sweater Weather, Rose Coloured Glasses, Northern Lights). They truly have a cider for everyone. We suggest picking up an assortment, especially if you’re new to cider, and discovering what style(s) resonates with you.
For phase two, Jeff and Nathaly will be opening Windfall’s tasting room in the New Year. Like many businesses during the pandemic, they’ve experienced significant shipping delays which have prevented them from putting the finishing touches on the space. We, like many, are eagerly awaiting the day we can enjoy a proper cider flight… it most definitely will be worth the wait!
A big thanks to Jeff and Nathaly for showing us around their new home in North Van. We’re so stoked that they have opened their very own space, and know this is just the start of big things to come.
Windfall’s bottle shop is located at #101–250 Esplanade E, North Vancouver and is open from 3—7pm on Wednesday through Sunday. You can also order their cider via their web store. Enjoy!
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