Our Story

Our Story

Owners Brian and Lavina grew up on opposite ends of the country,but their childhoods shared one parallel: apple orchards; Brian in the robust orchards of Western New York and Lavina on her family’s 80 acres in Douglas County, Oregon. 

In the mid 2000’s their paths crossed in Portland, Oregon initiating a love affair with cider neither of them could have imagined. Moving into their first home together, instead of a dining room table in the kitchen they found themselves with only room for 9 fermenters. That particular batch of cider was juice they purchased from their friend’s farm stand in Milwaukie, Oregon, which came from the orchard they currently pick their cider apples from. Those 9 fermenters were enjoyed by all at backyard BBQs, birthdays, campfires, and Tuesday nights.

In the coming years, they would be very resourceful in their picking endeavors. Getting a variety of juice from Lavina’s family farm, knocking on doors to pick apple trees in yards, to purchasing a majority of their juice from the Milwaukie farm stand. Many of their pressings were weekend long events; full days of picking, and full days of pressing. The one constant was the clear, dry, fruit forward cider they produced.

When it came time to purchase their own home Lavina and Brian decided to take their dream to the next level by purchasing acreage in the valley of Estacada, Oregon in what once was the town of Viola. There they began grafting, planting and tending to their own orchard for cider making. While they wait for their orchard to mature they are personally picking apples from an orchard 30 miles away in the Willamette Valley that was also grafted and planted by an orchardist just like Lavina and Brian. Their love of cider is what has created Viola Orchards.