After closing to the public last winter, Longmont’s only cidery taproom is reopened with limited hours.
Last summer, St. Vrain Cidery reopened its taproom at at 350 Terry St #130 while operating under COVID restrictions and limited capacity.
However, reduced seating with increased overhead challenged St. Vrain Cidery’s finances. The cidery closed off its indoor seating again in November 2020. Shifts required both a “cider slinger,” or a bartender and a server.
“It costs a lot more for us to operate that way, because it took twice as many staff to serve a fewer number of people,” said St. Vrain Cidery CEO Cindy Landi, who owns the Longmont business with her husband and the cidery’s CEO Dean Landi. “And by the end of the year, from a cash perspective, we just couldn't maintain that.”
St. Vrain Cidery reopened early July with single-shift weekends on Saturdays from 2-8 p.m. and Sundays 12-6 p.m. On Aug. 6, the cidery added Friday evening hours from 6-9 p.m.
The cidery was open Wednesday to Sunday pre-pandemic, Dean said. But St. Vrain Cidery is too understaffed to go back to normal hours. Cindy said they need at least two to three more staff members to have full hours on the weekend. Interested parties can view open positions and application instructions on St. Vrain Cidery’s website.
“I think there's a lot of excitement in the community. People are super happy we're open. Get really great, awesome energy back in here,” Cindy said.
Shortly after reopening, the weekly “Cider Yoga” event returned. A yoga class inside the taproom is held every Sunday from 10-11 a.m. The $10 drop in includes a four ounce pour at the end of the class. Cindy said she’s glad to get the event that was started three years ago, back up and running.
With the taproom reopened, St. Vrain Cidery will continue growing its other revenue channels. Eventually it will start the food truck, which launched early 2020. The cidery also sells its cider at Colorado establishments and events. It will also distribute its canned ciders through its partnership with Crooked Stave Artisans Distributing — a partnership that began in February.
