Guelph student sets sights on local, organic cider
The small-town, local and organic movement that has recently consumed the ideas of eco-minded individuals of all ages has found deep roots in the work of University of Guelph’s own Tariq Ahmed, who produces new adult beverages using only locally produced, organically grown fruits.
“This whole thing never would have gotten off the ground if I hadn’t taken a summer internship at [Manorun] Farms in Copetown,” Ahmed said, seated at a table in The Bullring, sipping tea. “In my first week there, the owner, [Chris Krucker], broke out some homebrew wine. The idea for our little business was born over a bottle or three. I just fell in love with the idea.”
After this catalytic evening, Krucker gave Ahmed a tour of the equipment and made a gift of a book on brewing wines, ciders and meads.
“The first batch I made was interesting” Ahmed says with a grin, “two of the three bottles exploded in the night, redecorating my room for me. After that, I looked at it as a challenge.”
Over the course of the summer, Ahmed set out to get his hands on as much locally grown produce as he could. What he couldn’t procure from Manorun itself, he purchased from the nearby Dundas Farmer’s Market.
“I even went out and picked wild apples…I just wanted to try as many things as I could.” Ahmed admitted.
After the disaster of his first brew, Ahmed became proficient enough with the process to produce enough to invite friends and family to sample his product. Opinion was high from the outset, and people began to ask how they could get their hands on more.
As summer came to a close, Ahmed admits thinking that he would have to wait until the next year before going at it again. However, upon returning to school here in Guelph, a new opportunity presented itself.
“I showed some of the wines to a few friends, Colin [McKinnon] and [Brandon] Priebe. They loved it,” said Ahmed, “Colin is a business student and Priebe is a musician, you know, really artistic, so we decided to partner up and see what we could make of my little hobby.”
From there the trio set out to establish the newly coined Revel Farms as a legitimate business. After meeting with local bar owners and brewers, who gave third party feedback on their product samples, the three visited the Guelph Enterprise Centre and procured a business license. Their work is far from over, however.
“We’re getting all the paperwork and legal stuff taken care of,” said Ahmed. “The main issue now is production. We have a product, we have recipes and we have potential buyers. The issue is that we haven’t located a place to license for the production itself.”
Despite the trials of establishing a business, the partners remain optimistic about their odds. Plans for the future are already in place. All that is left to do is navigate the rocky middle ground between the idea and the reality, all the while maintaining their grassroots ideals of production.
“We know this is a business,” Ahmed admits, “but I don’t intend to let that get in the way of the real purpose of Revel. The driving force behind this is to connect the local community and fuel its economy; we want to be the hub around which people come together. I really just want to bring people together; in my experience, sharing a drink with someone really does that.”
Their dream for the future is to have their own farm and production center with an onsite bar and amphitheater, which would “combine all of our passions, as well as fuel the local arts scene.”
The success of this enterprise, aside from being further evidence of the audacity and creativity of Guelph students would also provide evidence that for-profit business and the ideals of the local, eco-friendly movement are not diametrically opposed. I’ll drink to that.