Ringorillappa Cidery

We are farmers who grow more than 80 varieties of apples exclusively for juice and cider in Shinjo, Yamagata, Japan. We practice sustainable agriculture that is friendly to the natural environment and obtained organic JAS certification in 2022 and organic processed food certification in 2024, and are operating a juice processing plant and cider brewery. Our ciders are made from organically grown apples from our own orchards and are brewed using only wild yeast on the apples, with no added yeast. Artificial intervention is avoided as much as possible, and after pressing, the juice is kept at a controlled temperature and the wine is bottled after the casks have been drained and undergoes a second fermentation in the bottle before being made into a product. No filtration, no fining, no sulphites added. We are passionate about providing our customers with new and delicious ways of enjoying apples while at the same time practicing environmentally friendly and sustainable farming. We have followed organic farming standards for apple cultivation since 2019, and obtained JAS (Japanese Agricultural Standards) Organic Certification in 2022. At our farm, we cultivate apples specifically for processing, rather than growing apples which look nice to give as gifts. This frees us from having to use pesticides to ensure that our apples look perfect, and we don’t have to focus solely on sweetness. Instead, we grow apples which are natural, healthy and have a delicious range of flavors. A generation or so ago, our farm consisted mostly of Fuji apple trees, with a few other traditional varieties such as Kogyoku (Jonathan), Kokko (Ralls Janet) and 4-23. However, today we cultivate approximately 50 apple varieties in all, including many cider apple varieties acquired from overseas. This has helped us grow into a farm with a lively and eclectic assortment of apple flavors and types. As a rule, apple juice and domestic cider are produced using B-grade apples from farms which grow fully-ripened apples produced for the gift market, so they tend to be very sweet. At our farm, we intentionally pick our apples before they are fully ripe, allowing us to obtain deliciously nuanced flavors which include pleasingly tart and bitter notes. Neonicotinoid insecticides have been implicated in bee decline, and are seen as damaging to our soil, water and ecosystems. We practice agriculture which limits pesticide use to the absolute minimum, something which is good for our business and helps us make safe and healthy products.