Dr. Clay SlaughterFounder - Head Cidermaker His favorites are: Cider: Dry and tannic but will drink sweeter cider balanced with more sour/tannin Pommeau: Yes, please Apple: Winesap About Clay Clay serves as the head orchardist and cidermaker.  In any given day you will find him tending trees, pressing apples, or any of the other tasks necessary to make the cidery run.  He loves to talk about cider, apples, trees, and sustainable food. Clay has a background in biology, education, and law.  Many years ago, he used his genetic biology degree in commercial agriculture, and he is now using his knowledge and experience for sustainable food production.  Clay leads the team in many agro-education opportunities to teach our communities where their food comes from through school field trips, Master Gardener classes, adult education with extension services, farm to table family education sessions in and out of the orchard, and university guest lecturing. Clay Slaughter is also an American Cider Association (ACA) Certified Pommelier, ACA Certified Cider Guide, and Certified Cidermaker by the Cider Institute of North America (CINA). In 2024 Clay was awarded the CINA Peter Mitchel Award for Educational Excellence. Clay is involved with the following grants and research projects: USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant 2023 – Ground Harvest Fruit for Hard Cider Production Pathstone Farmworker Housing Grant 2023 Pathstone Farmworker Housing Grant 2024 USDA NRCS 2024 Clay has also served on multiple competitive grant review committees. Return to Cidery Team

Tara SlaughterFounder - Business Development Her favorites are: Cider: Sweet and fruity Pommeau: Sweet versions. Thank you, Michigan Apple: Ashmead’s Kernel & Ginger Gold About Tara Tara serves as the business and financial lead for the orchard and cidery.  She is the financial head of operations and keeps us focused on making great products for our customers.  She oversees all the financial records, budgeting, and compensation for the business.  In addition to her business savvy, she has a keen knack for event planning and design.  Tara leads the team in wholesale ordering, tracking inventory, market layout, and design for both farm markets. Tara has a background in university finance, education, and event planning. Tara is involved with the following grants and research projects: USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant 2023 – Ground Harvest Fruit for Hard Cider Production National Young Farmers Collation Chipotle Grant 2023 Pathstone Farmworker Housing Grant 2023 Pathstone Farmworker Housing Grant 2024 USDA NRCS 2024 Tara has also served on multiple competitive grant review committees. Return to Cidery Team

Zack McIntoshFounder - Tech & Quality Assurance His favorites are: Cider: Semi-Sweet to Dry Pommeau: Delicious Apple: McIntosh (well, obviously) and Zestar About Zack Zack leads the technology and quality assurance components of the enterprise. He has a background in data engineering, analytics, and business intelligence. Zack has an off-farm career serving as a Data Engineer for a leading global food and beverage firm (in addition to supporting all aspects of the business). We map our trees on an individual basis for health and harvest, thanks to Zack. He is developing a custom application to capture the life cycle of our fruit from bud-break to bottled product for quality assurance and orchard management. He maintains all the company data, systems, and websites for the orchard and cidery. Zack is involved with the following grants and research projects: USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant 2023 – Ground Harvest Fruit for Hard Cider Production Pathstone Farmworker Housing Grant 2023 Pathstone Farmworker Housing Grant 2024 USDA NRCS 2024 Return to Cidery Team