Over thirty years ago, while visiting my tequila-making Mexican familia in Manzanillo, my founding partner and I started dreaming about a new adventure. That dream led us to a slightly run-down cidery in Cobble Hill. “How hard could it be?” we thought. Spoiler alert: pretty challenging! Our backgrounds were in law, finance, and real estate, not cider making, so the learning curve was steep. But in 1999, we took the reins, and that’s when Merridale’s lifelong adventure truly began. What started as a humble cidery has grown into a farm, distillery, farmhouse store, and eatery, a destination we’re proud to share.

There’s always something happening at Merridale. Follow the seasons through Jan’s Orchard Notes, where owner Janet Docherty shares stories from the orchard, the farm, harvest and life at Merridale.

We are proud to be Biosphere Certified and committed to sustainability. Every choice we make supports the Cowichan Valley, Vancouver Island, and our planet for future generations.