Blake's (Blake's Hard Cider / Blake's Beverage Company)

Blake's Hard Cider is a third-generation, family-owned craft cider company rooted in Armada, Michigan, operating from the same 159-acre farm that Gerald and Lovey Blake established in 1946. Founded in 2013 by Andrew Blake — a grandson of the original farmers — the brand grew out of a deep agricultural heritage and a vision to bring craft cider into the mainstream beverage landscape. Andrew began experimenting with hard cider recipes in his garage while studying economics at Michigan State University, initially hand-bottling approximately 50 cases per day from 280-gallon wine tanks. What started as a small-batch operation has since grown into a nationally distributed brand available in over 40 states across the United States.

The company produces a wide range of fruit-forward hard ciders and flavored malt beverages, drawing on the orchard traditions built by multiple generations of the Blake family. Their product portfolio includes classic hard ciders as well as innovative blended offerings such as the Shore Thing Classic Lemonade, which combines lemonade and vodka at 5.5% ABV with a semi-sweet profile. This product exemplifies Blake's commitment to expanding the cider category beyond traditional apple ciders into broader fruit-forward and flavored adult beverage innovations.

Blake's Hard Cider positions itself firmly within the craft beverage segment, emphasizing its farmer-made identity and authentic agricultural roots. The company operates from a working farm that includes an orchard and cider mill originally built by Ray Blake, one of Gerald and Lovey's sons, to sustain the family farming operation. This farm-to-bottle heritage differentiates Blake's from larger commercial cider producers and resonates with consumers seeking authentic, regionally rooted craft beverages.

The brand's distribution footprint spans more than 40 states, reflecting significant growth since its 2013 founding and positioning Blake's as one of the more widely available independent craft cider producers in the U.S. market. Their stated mission centers on expanding the cider category and pursuing fruit-forward beverage innovation, suggesting an ongoing pipeline of new product development across various flavor profiles and alcohol delivery formats. The combination of deep agricultural roots, third-generation family ownership, and an entrepreneurial approach to product development makes Blake's Hard Cider a notable supplier and co-brand partner in the craft and flavored beverage space.