About Us
Authentic & Locally Made Cider from Orange NSW
We are the original producers of locally grown, locally made cider in Orange NSW Australia. We make a range of ciders from fresh juice of apples and pears; drawing on traditional methods of authentic cider making. The results are for everyone to enjoy: and a range of award winning ciders and perrys to sample at our Cellar Door in the heart of Orange.
How it started
Founded in 2007, the inspiration for Small Acres Cyder came from our original founders not being able to find a choice of craft ciders in Australia. Growing up in the UK they were used to drinking traditional cider made from fresh cider apples, not the industrially produced ciders from apple juice concentrate.
Frustrated with not having a similar choice in Australia they set about making their own; planting the orchard with a wide selection of French and English apple varieties.
How it's going
The Geoghegan family are cider lovers who took over when the Kendalls returned to the UK in 2020 and we continue this tradition. We really believe Australian cider can be the best in the world when we take these amazing traditions, fantastic fruit and Australian wine-making knowhow. Since becoming the custodians of Small Acres Cyder we've been restoring and expanding the orchard, adding to our range and loving the chance to meet amazing customers who share our passion for real cider.
Leading the Australian craft cider market we have won more than 130 industry awards. In recent years this has included Best in Show at the Japan Cider Cup (JCC) 2024, Champion Cider at the Sydney Royal for both 2023 and 2021, and Gold Medal at JCC 2023.
You can shop for our award winners here and enjoy Australia-wide delivery.
Located in the heart of Orange NSW
Our cidery and cellar door is located on the border of Nashdale and Borenore; right in the heart of Orange NSW's apple and wine country. It's the perfect place for us to grow apples and get great fruit from the neighbouring growers. Our high-altitude gives us long cool winters and we have amazing soil thanks to Mount Canobolas; a long-dormant volcano that left a legacy of amazing volcanic soil.
With Orange's best wineries in every direction we have many distractions but also great sources of fermenting wisdom (and spare parts!).
Behind our cidery (cider house) you will find our orchard where we grow about 900 English and French cider-apple varieties and perry pear trees. Hundreds of years of careful selection have led to varieties with the tannins, acidity and depth of flavour to produce ciders with real flavour and character.
Visit our cellar door for a guided tasting of our cider and add something different to your Orange wine tour.
Why "Cyder" not "Cider"?
“Cyder” is a traditional spelling of our favourite drink; both in England and in Australia. In fact the earliest references to Cyder we could find in Orange used this traditional spelling. Legend has it that “Cyder” referred to the first press of the apples to be drunk at the manor, while “Cider” was the second press and enjoyed by the farm workers. We like to think we make something for everyone to enjoy!
Stock our award-winning cider in your restaurant, cafe or bottle shop
We are lucky to be in some of Sydney and Orange's best hatted restaurants including Sixpenny, Berowra Waters Inn, Union Bank and Printhie Dining. Get in touch with Nick if you would like to offer your customers premium craft cider.
The natural sugar in our ciders
We never sweeten our ciders with sugar but we make our cider from apple and pear juice which of course contain naturally occurring sugar. It's where the alcohol comes from and helps make cider tasty. The level of residual sugars varies greatly from very low in our drier ciders and perries to quite a lot higher in our Golden Knot ciders which are made from unfermented juice. You can view an overview of the residual sugar in our ciders on our nutritional information page.
Who are we?
We are a family run business owned by Nick and Jannene Geoghegan; often assisted by our teenage kids when they can be moved from the couch.
Want to learn more? Contact Us
