Today we’d like to introduce you to Caleb and Emily Noble.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
It all started with a dare. When Emily and I started dating 4 years ago I knew that I was probably going to marry this girl and wanted to get my life in order. I told her that I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life… she asked “what do you want to do?”… And I said I have no idea! Then she said what do you like to do? I said drink cider… She then replied then let’s makes some cider! So $200 later and some fresh cider from a local orchard we were hooked! From that point forward we decided that cider was what we were going to do!
Fast forward to 2018, we have been in business for just over a year (March 2018 was 1 year). It has been a roller coaster! The first year was a very humbling experience. When we went from making 5 gallons at a time in my parents basement to 275 gallons commercially we thought we knew what we were doing… little did we know that we had a TON to learn. Our cider to start was pretty much undrinkable… but…. with a lot of help from a local winery (Mill River Winery) we started to produce some decent cider. Since they took us under their wing every batch we make is better than the last. Looking back, the progress we have made in the past year has been amazing, we are so are happy with the product we are making today and people really love it. We are so excited to see where this adventure will take us!
Has it been a smooth road?
– All of the licensing to me is like freshmen year of college when the professor tries to weed out the students that can’t cut it….It is brutal and takes forever but if you stick with it you will eventually get through it (and pass!)
– Going from home cider making to commercial is a huge jump. When you make it at home you feel like you are just as good or better than the stuff you can buy in stores…but when you do it for real it is a lot harder to do than you thought. A LOT of trial and error.
– Sales- When we started out all we did was draft and getting draft lines has to be one of the hardest things to do. Most restaurants/bars only have a certain amount of lines so you are competing with every beer or cider company out there. Over time you can create some great relationships and eventually get some lines…but it is not easy! Once we got into 750ml bottles we saw a big change in our total sales. As one of my stores told me…”if you have a good product it does not matter what type of packaging it’s in…It will still sell. These words are so true! Liquor stores are a lot easier to get into because usually they have shelf space and they love to support local businesses!
-Lastly, owning a 1976 VW Bus that you use for advertising is always interesting- We spend a lot of time praying we make it to where we want to go… and we spend a LOT of time doing maintenance- but we love our bus- Her name is Dorothy Mantooth
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Saintly Cider story. Tell us more about the business.
Here at Saintly we create a crisp, dry, and light cider made from New England apples. We like to use natural flavors found on farms in our area. Our goal is to create a unique product that pays tribute to past generations of hard cider makers/drinkers. All of our flavors are subtle and don’t over power the natural apple flavor. Our ciders can be enjoyed with a meal or on its own. Saintly is meant to be shared!
We have a bootstrap/grassroots approach to how we do everything from marketing to the making of our cider. We want our brand to grow organically by friends telling friends about our product and our story. Emily and I are literally living our dream right now and want to share our passion with others. There is nothing like getting a message from someone saying how much they like our cider… it literally makes our day!
What sets us apart from other cider companies are a few things.
– All of our ciders are dry meaning that we ferment all of the sugar. This leaves you with a light cider that is very drinkable.
– Emily is a flower/vegetable farmer when she isn’t making cider so we use her knowledge and her plants to come up with new flavors.
– It is just the two of us making and selling our cider- we fill every single bottle by hand!
– We are self-funded so everything we do has a lot of thought and even more effort put into it.
– We rent space from a winery and don’t have a tasting room…YET!
– One of the reasons we are called Saintly is because we want to be known not only as a cider company but also as a company that has integrity and does the right thing no matter the circumstance.
We are known for creating a cider that will make a cider drinker out of anyone and also our 1976 VW Bus Dorothy Mantooth!
What we are proud of is the fact that we had a dream that has become a reality. It would have not happened if it weren’t for countless friends and family that helped us out along the way. From logo design, to trademarking, to helping us perfect our recipe and everything in between. We are so lucky to have all of these people in our lives. We are proud to have such great friends and hope that we can make them proud as we continue growing in the future.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I think that the industry is headed towards supporting local brands more than the big brands. People want to be a part of something and be able to talk to the people who produce/make whatever product it may be. I think that cans are very hot right now but I feel like there is plenty of room for other types of packaging…for example we use 750ml bottles and that does not stop people from buying our cider.
I also think that tasting rooms are and will continue to be the new hot places to hang out rather than bars. Everyone is having live music, food trucks, and games for people to enjoy at their tasting rooms.
Pricing:
- Cornerstone- Our original dry style cider- Retails for $9
- Heart & Soul- Our seasonal made with hibiscus and mint- Retails for $11
Contact Info:
- Website: www.saintlycider.com
- Phone: 978-500-5388
- Email: info@saintlycider.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saintlycider/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/saintlycider/
Image Credit:
Caleb/Emily Noble
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