Apple Pressing & Custom U-Brew Services on Vancouver Island 2026
"Turn your backyard harvest into world-class wine and cider. We are Located in Nanaimo, we provide apple pressing services and a full U-Brew (Ferment-on-Premises) experience for Vancouver Island residents. Whether you have heritage Gravenstein apples, backyard blackberries, or a surplus of pears and grapes, our industrial-grade equipment ensures the highest juice yield and quality.
Apple Pressing services is for making hard ciders only as the raw apple juice has not been pasturized.
Welcome to the harvest season! We are excited to help you turn your backyard bounty into delicious cider and wine.
Fruit Quality & Safety To keep our equipment and your juice safe, we strictly enforce the following:
No "Grounders" (Windfalls): We only accept fruit that has been hand-picked from the tree. Fruit harvested from the ground carries a high risk of E. coli and other pathogens.
Sound Fruit Only: Please sort your fruit before arriving. We cannot process fruit that is rotten, heavily bruised, or shows signs of bird/pest damage.
Pre-Washed: While we provide a sanitizing rinse, fruit should arrive free of heavy dirt, leaves, or twigs.
The Pressing Process
We use a traditional No. 40 & 45 Italian Rachet Hand press system paired with a motorized crusher for maximum yield and flavor.
Yield Expectation: On average, 20-25 lbs of apples will yield 1-1.5 gallons of juice. Depending on how juicy your apples or fruit are.
Strickly For Fermentation: Because we do not pasteurize, all juice pressed at our store is intended for fermentation into alcoholic beverages.
Sanitation: All fruit is treated with a food-grade Potassium Metabisulfite (KMS) wash prior to crushing to ensure a clean start for your yeast.
Take-Home Juice
Bringing your juice home to ferment? Come prepared.
Container Requirements: Please bring food-grade pails or glass carboys. We do not carry spare buckets or carboys at this time. Canadian Tire has 5 gallon Food Grade Buckets as Well as Industrial Plastic.
Stability: We add a standard dose of Potassium Metabisulfite to all take-home juice to prevent oxidation. Wait 24 hours before adding your own yeast at home.
