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Josh Bennett grew up foraging apples from wild trees and abandoned homestead orchards in Pendleton County.
“There were very few people in my neighborhood who didn’t make hard cider, so by the time I was 12 I was already making and drinking hard cider,” he said.
He studied horticulture at WVU, studied viticulture in Austria, and spent time in Germany. In 2014, he decided to open his cider, Hawk Knob Appalachian Hard, in Lewisburg.
“When I started Hawk Knob, a lot of people didn’t know what cider was. A big part of my job was educating the public about what I was trying to sell.” he said.
Cider made with apples grown in West Virginia has grown in popularity over the past decade, and the idyllic tasting room has become a popular tourist attraction.
create a new beginning
That same year, Greenbrier Brewing Company was founded just a few miles away, and its beer became one of the most popular in the state. The company announced it would close in March 2023, and Mr. Bennett has decided to take over.
“It was really sad to see these brands disappear. And more importantly, I knew all the people who worked here, and all of those jobs left the area. “It was really sad to see it go,” he said. “And at the time it was impossible to do anything about it, but I thought, why not try?”
Bennett is now the owner of both thriving businesses and was recently awarded West Virginia Hive’s 2023 Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
He said he immediately set out to resupply the market with beloved beers and is now experimenting and innovating with smaller batches. He loves German, Austrian and Belgian beers. At Hawk Knob, he is preparing to launch a new product line called Mountain Made. It features hard apple cider that is a little sweeter than its traditional counterpart and flavored with fruits such as oranges and tangerines.
The cider and beer are sold throughout West Virginia, and both companies employ approximately 18 people.
“Cider is close to my heart as I grew up with it, but after spending time in Europe I have a soft spot for both as there is good beer everywhere,” he said. .
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