Hugus Fruit Farm Cider Press
Call 740-536-9590 to make an appointment for cider pressing.
Custom pressing available Monday - Friday only (No weekends).
CIDER PRESSING BASICS
The INPUT
A minimum of 10 bushels is strongly recommended. Fewer than 10 bushels will cost the Minimum Fee.
The PROCESS
The fruit rolls through the washer, rides up the elevator and drops into the high-speed grinder where it becomes a mushy pomace. The pomace is pumped through a tube onto a cloth spread over a plastic rack. Several layers of rack and cloth are built up, then rolled under the press plate. As the hydraulic pump lifts the stack, cider is squeezed out of the pomace through the cloths and flows into the catch tank below.
The PRESS
Our main equipment is an OESCO traditional rack-and-cloth hydraulic press, built in 1972.
The OUTPUT
The yield generally is four gallons of cider for every one bushel of apples and/or pears.
The remaining squeezed pomace is given to local farmers for livestock feed.
RULES & REGS (SSOPs)
- Per current Federal and State requirements, Hugus Fruit Farm has written Standard Sanitary Operating Procedures that include the following: * Fruit will be inspected before pressing. Only clean, sound fruit will be accepted. HFF will not press dirty or rotten fruit from any source for anyone.
- * All fruit will be washed in a chlorine water wash before pressing.
- * All cider will be treated with UltraViolet light before jugging to achieve the 5-log bacteria reduction mandated by federal law.
- * Cider will be bottled only into clean, new jugs. * Hair/beard covering (clean cap, hat, net) must beworn in the cider press room during cider processing and bottling.
EXPECTATIONS for CUSTOMERS
- Customers should plan to: * Bring and wear a clean cap/hat.
- * Bring clean fruit.
- * Unload your fruit from your vehicle.
- * Bottle and load your cider.
- * Pay the pressing fee.
- * Enjoy your cider!
2023 PRESSING FEES
STANDARD RATE:
for 10 bushels or more
$1.70 per gallon
$ .65 per jug
$2.35 Total/gallon
MINIMUM FEE:
for less than 10 bushels
$70 for pressing
plus $.65 per jug