Meet the Fourth-Generation Farm Behind This Popular Cider Brand

August 8, 2025

When you order an average hard cider, it’s hard to know where its apples were grown, and how it was made. At the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, Far West Cider offers hard ciders made only with the apples from the Chinchiolo family’s 100-year-old farm in Ripon, California, called Lucky You Orchards. As the next generation takes the farm into the future by growing their award-winning cider brand, market shoppers can taste both their iconic ciders and the fresh, organically grown apples that go into them.

The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far: Four Generations of Farming Delicious Fruit

For Andrea Chinchiolo-Herbert and her brother, Adam Chinchiolo, there’s a deep history of agriculture on both sides of the family. Their great-grandfather immigrated from Italy to Massachusetts, where he worked as a fruit peddler. Meanwhile, their mother’s side of the family grew grapes and almonds in the Central Valley, going back to the late 1800s.

When their father’s side of the family moved to California, they settled in the same area that their mother’s side had established themselves in. The family continued to grow grapes until the 1980s, when their father, Steve Chinchiolo, decided to start growing Fuji apples and selling them at farmers markets. As the family started growing more varieties of apples, they slowly phased out grapes and almonds. 

Now, four members of the family are involved on the farm: Steve and his children, Andrea, Adam, and Alex. “Our dad and Alex are really responsible stewards of the land,” Andrea says, “We’re careful about what we’re doing to protect the soil health and the longevity of the orchard itself.”

Today, 90% of the fruit grown at Lucky You Orchards is certified organic. The Chinchiolos practice water conservation and use natural means of pest control that allow them to sustainably produce apples, cherries, nectarines, peaches, and other fruit. 

Joining the Craft Cider Movement

In the early 2010s, craft hard cider made a comeback in the US, as a counterpoint to overly sweet, mass-produced cider, which uses apple concentrates and added sugars. Adam was among many who developed an interest in fermented beverages and beer, which led him to apply for a Value-Added Producer Grant through the USDA. These grants help small and mid-sized farms develop new products that will help them diversify their sales and increase their income. 

After winning the grant, Adam quit his job to found Far West Cider. Andrea also left her job at a startup in San Francisco to join this business. As the idea grew, Alex and Steve also got involved. A decade later, their ciders are currently available throughout the Bay Area and some national retailers, including Whole Foods and Total Wine. They can also be enjoyed at their taproom in Richmond.

Most hard cider is made with apples sourced from multiple orchards or imported concentrates, while at Far West Cider, all of the apples are grown at Lucky You Orchards. Their single-origin ciders set them apart from other cider makers, and have garnered them multiple Good Food Awards. 

“There are a thousand ways to make flavored cider that are way easier than how we do it,” Adam says. “But you get a better outcome using natural ingredients.”

An Apple A Day: The Making of Far West Cider

To make hard cider, different varieties of cider apples are blended together based on the desired flavor profile: sweet, sharp, or bittersharp.  After being picked and washed, the apples are milled into fine pieces, also known as pomace, which is then pressed into juice. Apples are not always pressed at Lucky You Orchards. In some cases, the family sends out truckloads of apples to be pressed in larger batches.

This juice is then fermented with active yeast and left to age, creating a flavorful product. After the fermented cider is filtered, it’s sent into cold pressurized tanks to be carbonated, and then canned for shoppers to enjoy.

“The front half of the process is very similar to what you might see in a wine environment. The back half of the process, in terms of packaging, is very similar to beer production,” Adam says. “We always try to make a few different ciders that are really true to the apple.”

As a result, Far West Cider presents drinks that are crisp and dry with zero residual sugars after the fermentation process. They also make ciders with other fruits from the farm and, on occasion, fruit sourced from other locations, as is the case with their bestselling cider, You Guava Be Kidding Me, which is made with an imported guava puree. 

Their Very Juicy cider, on the other hand, is made almost entirely with Gala apples from the farm. At the farmers market, shoppers get to learn more about the methods behind their ciders, while, in the late summer and fall, also tasting the apples from the farm for themselves. 

Andrea says, “The farmers market is such a great place for us to educate people on not only where their food is coming from with the fresh apples, but also where their drink is coming from. We function a lot more like an estate winery, in that case, compared to an apothecary wine that’s on the shelf.”

Bringing Fresh Apples and Natural Ciders to the Farmers Market

The Chinchiolo family joined the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in 2020, and since then, it has been more than a means to sell their products. It’s a way to connect with the community. 

“We’ve gotten a lot of invaluable product feedback. It’s really excellent marketing. It’s a great way to meet chefs, restaurateurs, and grocery managers. From the beginning, the farmers market has really been a crucial part of what we do,” Adam says.

This month, farmers market shoppers can enjoy the farm’s first fresh apples of the season. They can also look forward to a new cider, called Sharing Is Caring, which is only available at the farmers market. This zero-sugar, high-tannin cider uses 15 different French and European apple varieties from the farm. Far West Cider will also restock more of its fresh apple juices in September. And starting September 1 through Thanksgiving, Far West Cider hosts a U-pick at Lucky You Orchards (about 80 miles east of San Francisco), where visitors can pick apples and taste the cider in the orchard it came from.

“It’s essentially a pop-up tasting room where we get to showcase the full breadth of what we do, from growing the apples to producing fresh juice and fermenting our ciders,” Andrea says, “We get to share our story face-to-face, introduce new ciders, and build lasting relationships with people who care about where their food and drink come from.”

Visit Far West Cider/Lucky You Orchards at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Saturdays.

Topics: Entrepreneurship, Farmers market