Announcing Sly Clyde Ciderworks
Virginia Secretary of Agriculture Basil Gooden speaks with Hampton Mayor Donnie Tuck.
It was a huge week for Sly Clyde Ciderworks. The Secretary of Agriculture and Hampton's Mayor joined us for our big announcement - we are opening Hampton Roads' first cidery this Fall in Hampton. We are investing more than $500,000 over the next three years to turn our little bit of Phoebus into a craft cider manufacturing center, tasting room, and courtyard. We have been watching all of the amazing new businesses move into Phoebus and we couldn't help but want to join the excitement!
The Hampton Economic Development Authority (EDA) has been working with us for months now, as has the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), to leverage an innovative grant program from the Commonwealth of Virginia. In the end, the City of Hampton was able to secure an AFID Grant from the Governor and match those funds with local economic development incentives to entice us to use 100% Virginia apples in this new venture. Their hard work and the AFID grant made a huge difference for our little startup.
This is a very ambitious project but we are really excited to bring hard cider to Hampton Roads. Craft cider is growing in Virginia and we look forward to introducing a whole new region of cider drinkers to Sly Clyde later this year. We will be making lots of changes to our Phoebus location (Intergalactic Headquarters, if you will) so be sure to watch this site for photos and updates.
We can't wait to see you this Fall!