Making Craft Cider in BC Is More Complicated Than It Looks

From the outside, a small cidery looks simple: grow apples, press juice, ferment, bottle, sell. The reality involves liquor licensing, markup structures, compliance requirements, labelling regulations, and a distribution system that wasn't designed with small craft producers in mind.

We're not complaining — we chose this, and we'd choose it again. But we think it's worth being honest about what it actually takes to operate a craft cidery in BC, because it explains a lot about why craft cider costs what it costs and why small producers operate the way they do.

Liquor Licensing in BC

To produce and sell cider in BC, you need a manufacturer's licence from the BC Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch (LCRB). The licensing process involves facility inspections, compliance with production standards, and ongoing reporting requirements.

The licence category matters. A winery licence, a brewery licence, and a cidery licence each come with different rules about where you can sell, what markup structures apply, and what endorsements you need to operate a tasting room, sell at farmers markets, or ship direct to consumers.

For a land-based cidery — one that grows its own fruit — there are additional requirements around the percentage of estate-grown fruit used in production. These requirements exist to protect the integrity of the land-based designation, but they also mean you can't simply buy fruit from wherever it's cheapest when your own orchard has a bad year.

The Markup Structure

When cider is sold through BC Liquor Stores or private liquor retailers, the BC Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) applies a markup. For small craft producers, this markup has historically been a significant barrier to retail viability — it compresses margins to the point where selling through retail channels is often less profitable than selling direct.

This is one of the reasons we focus on direct-to-consumer sales through our online store and Cider Club. Selling direct means we capture more of the value we create, which means we can invest more in quality — better fruit, better equipment, better process — without having to inflate prices to cover retail markups.

It also means we have a direct relationship with the people who drink our cider, which is worth more than shelf space.

Shipping Across Provincial Lines

Shipping alcohol across provincial borders in Canada is governed by both federal and provincial law. The rules vary by province — some allow direct-to-consumer shipping from out-of-province producers, others don't. Some require the producer to hold a specific licence in the receiving province. Some require shipments to go through the provincial liquor board.

We ship to 97% of the Canadian population, but navigating the patchwork of provincial regulations to get there required significant legal and compliance work. It's not as simple as putting a bottle in a box and sending it via Canada Post.

This is part of why Cider Canada — the national association for Canadian craft cider producers — exists. Advocacy for interprovincial trade reform, direct-to-consumer shipping rights, and fair markup structures for small producers are ongoing priorities for the industry.

Labelling Requirements

Every bottle of cider sold in Canada must comply with federal labelling requirements under the Food and Drugs Act and the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations, as well as provincial requirements that vary by jurisdiction. This includes mandatory declarations of alcohol content, volume, producer information, and allergen disclosures.

For craft producers making small batches with variable ingredients — different fruit additions, different barrel programs, different seasonal variations — keeping labels compliant across multiple SKUs and multiple provinces is a non-trivial administrative burden.

Why This Matters for the Price of Craft Cider

Craft cider costs more than mass-market hard cider for reasons that go beyond ingredients and process. Licensing fees, compliance costs, markup structures, shipping regulations, and the administrative overhead of operating in a heavily regulated industry all factor into the cost of production.

When you buy a bottle of Hardcore Cider, you're paying for estate-grown Okanagan apples, real BC fruit, pressure-fermentation, triple-filtration, and barrel aging. You're also paying for the regulatory infrastructure that allows us to legally produce, label, and ship that bottle to you — wherever you are in Canada.

We think it's worth it. We hope you do too.

Shop Hardcore Cider Co.

— Hardcore Cider Co.
100% Okanagan apples. Real BC fruit. No shortcuts.