Alexandria Living Magazine
Lost Boy Cider is opening this summer in Alexandria's Eisenhower East neighborhood.
Lost Boy Cider is opening in June in a brand-new facility in the Eisenhower East neighborhood. The formerly-vacant warehouse space at 317 Hooffs Run Drive includes a tasting room and event space, and a production facility.
The company has already planted a few apple trees out front -- specifically, semi-dwarf golden delicious varieties. The apple trees will reach approximately nine feet in height when fully grown, and Lost Boy plans to use the apples for cider. The inaugural harvest for the trees is projected to take place in Fall 2020.
Alexandria Living Magazine
Lost Boy Founder Tristan Wright.
At a private event Wednesday afternoon, Virginia officials awarded $30,000 to the City of Alexandria and AEDP to assist Lost Boy Cider as it commits to Alexandria. The grant was part of the Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) grant program.
Lost Boy Cider is committed to $668,800 in new capital investment in the next several years, the creation of at least 7 new jobs, and the purchase of more than a million pounds of Virginia apples. Lost Boy Cider is made with 100% Virginia apples.
Lost Boy Cider owner and founder Tristan Wright said at the event how grateful he was for support from the City, Commonwealth and its agencies. “I hope that you'll taste some of what Kevin, our wonderful cider maker, has been working hard on."
Lost Boy Cider joins a growing beverage industry in the state. Lost Boy Cider is one of nearly two dozen cideries in Virginia. The Commonwealth also has more than 300 wineries, along with hundreds of craft breweries and more than 50 distilleries.
Alexandria Living Magazine
Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Bettina K. Ring congratulates Lost Boy Cider's Tristan Wright and his wife, Katie.
Wright discovered after a hospitalization that he was allergic to soy and gluten. A quest to reinvent his diet followed, which led into researching cider as an alternative to wine and beer.
According to the Lost Boy Cider website, “Tristan wanted to do something simple; create an American-made handcrafted cider here at home. Anyone who knows anything about cider making knows that this is not as easy as it sounds. Two years of research and now armed with certificates from Cornell and Oregon State University's Cider Production schools, here we are.”
Lost Boy Cider is an example of urban argriculture in Virginia through partnerships with Virginia farmers.
Learn more at www.lostboycider.com.
