HARDBALL CIDER

Geoff has been making hard cider for nearly a decade on his 5-generation family farm. Before turning full-time cidermaker, Geoff spent almost 15 years in the telecom industry in various marketing and supply chain roles launching many of the most popular smartphones and managing a team responsible for over $1B of inventory. Today, as the founder and head cidermaker, Geoff is mainly responsible for day to day operations, sales, and customer relationship management. His team, including girlfriend Kari (Head of Marketing), all play significant roles in the operational activities such as fruit processing, fermentation, and packaging, as well as sales and marketing roles such as social media management, taproom brand ambassadors, and festival team members. It takes the entire team working together to make every flavor of Hardball Cider a high-quality and differentiated player in the rapidly growing hard cider segment. Grown. Pressed. Hardened. Ciders that swing for the fence!

Kari started with Hardball Cider in 2019 helping to give Hardball a marketing facelift through a new website, social media, and photography. She plans all of Hardball Cider’s events throughout the year – both onsite and offsite, manages all marketing channels with a keen focus on social media to promote, cultivate and grow a loyal customer base. Additionally, Kari is not afraid to get her hands dirty with apple pressing, fermentation operations, and packaging. Her favorite cider is Riding the Pine[apple] with coconut and favorite reason to work for Hardball is seeing the reactions on her customer’s faces when they try our ciders for the first time.

For the past 5+ decades, Todd has grown fruits and vegetables as well as pressed fresh cider on the family farm for his retail and wholesale markets. With son, Geoffrey, launching the Hardball Cider brand in recent years, Todd has moved his focus to oversee and manage the orchard operations - growing the highest quality fruit for both fresh and hard cider. Todd has extensive experience in large and small orchard production managing everything from root stock selection, training systems and pruning techniques to site selection, disease management, crop yield and harvesting. Todd is the person responsible for the idea behind one of the first three ciders that Hardball Cider ever developed - Splitter. He suggested that Geoff take some Fastball (dry hard cider) and mix it with some of their fresh apple cider and so the perfect split between dry and sweet was crafted! In his spare time, Todd enjoys the performing arts and is an accomplished pianist and musical director for regional and local theater productions.