BURLINGTON, Connecticut — The press is on at Hogan‘s Cider Mill.
“We make small batches of unpasteurized cider, We like to call it real cider,” says owner Chet Dunlop.
For more than 100 years the Burlington business has been crafting the seasonal favorite the old-fashioned way.
“They just finished grinding the apples from the top to the bottom, now that they’ve wrapped them up in those cloths they’re going to push it under the press,” says owner, Theresa Clifford Dunlop
Friday was the first press of the season, “Actually you’re smelling the apples right now but you’re also smelling the apples from years and years and years, Because it permeates the space,” says Theresa.
The mill stayed open through two world wars And now the Dunlop family is moving forward through the pandemic.
“I think it says that we are resilient and that we have that New England spirit of just persevering and adapting while carrying on the tradition and great hard cider kind of speaks for itself, that keeps you moving forward,” says the Dunlop’s daughter, Margaret Borla.
Borla grew up working in the store and got married in the wedding venue out back. She says the ability to adapt has been the secret to her parents success, “Get creative and use your best abilities, find a way to make that work. For us it was moving the cider outside and providing an environment where people can relax and be socially distant.
Supporting others has also been part of the family formula.
“Everything we do is local, As much as we can we buy and support everything locally,” says Borla.
All with a simple goal for the customers who come their way.
“I would like them to say it taste just like I am eating an apple,” says Chet.
Hogan’s Cider Mill is open seven days a week from 12 to 6.