HISTORY

This is a story of confluence--  how fertile land, impassioned farmers, creative fermenters, good neighbors, ripe timing, community support and organic apples all converged to sustain a small family farm and bring Finnriver Farm & Cidery to life. While our farm is remote, we are honored to have been on the forefront of the Pacific Northwest cider revival. We are committed to fermenting a vision of good land, renewed and inclusive rural community and a vibrant food culture.


Finnriver Cidery was co-founded in 2008 by partners Keith and Crystie Kisler and Eric Jorgensen. Andrew Byers came on as Head Cidermaker in 2013 and joined the ownership in 2018. These four people each have a unique story that carried them to Chimacum, journeys that converged in the collaborative project of the founding and growing Finnriver. 


The Kislers met as wilderness educators in Yosemite National Park and set out from there with the intention to find a place to set down roots and grow a grounded life together. When their search for land and livelihood brought them to the Olympic Peninsula, they moved to the seaport and arts town of Port Townsend, qatáy, on S'Klallam, Chemakum lands. The name Kai Tai is from the Chemakum name qətáaluqo, which was adapted into the S’Klallam word qatáy (kah-tai). *


There the Kislers befriended some folks and two of them, skilled farmers Kate Dean and Will O'Donnell, became their farm business partners in 2004. Together, the two families purchased a 33-acre organic blueberry farm in Chimacum's Center Valley from Elijah (Lige) and Kay Christian, who have since been mentors and neighbors. It was Lige and Kay who began the stream restoration work on the land, dug the ag wells, put up the barn and planted all 2,000 blueberry plants.


The partners re-named the farm Finnriver, after Kate and Will’s son Finn and the Kislers' first son River, a name that honored their family farming aspirations and the fish in the watershed. The name was also inspired by this old Irish legend:


As a young lad, Finn MacCool went to live with a wise old poet who had spent seven years trying to catch the sacred Salmon of Wisdom, which lived in a pool on the river. It was foretold that whoever ate this salmon would gain all the knowledge in the world. Eventually the master caught the great fish, and told the boy to cook it for him, but to take care not to eat it. While cooking the fish young Finn burned his thumb and instinctively put the finger in his mouth. Finn thus gained the salmon’s wisdom and used it to lead his people and bring peace to the land.


There the two families focused on growing organic fruit, vegetables and grains, and searching for a small farm model that would support their families, serve the community and sustain the land. Then one day Lige brought over a bottle of hard cider he’d fermented from the apples out back. It was a delightful, dry, effervescent discovery. And, for the farming families, it sparked an interest in seeing what cider could be.


When the Dean-O'Donnells moved on to pursue other ventures, the Kislers encountered the financial challenge of keeping the farm intact as well as the practical one of needing more hands in the ground to get it all done. Working together with Jefferson Land Trust and the Jefferson Landworks Collaborative, they took local low-interest loans from generous community investors and farm allies, agreed to place protective conservation easements on the farm, and developed a plan to embark on cider production.


Enter Eric Jorgensen! Eric's life journey took him from the Midwest to the Northwest with adventures as raft guide, environmental educator and then school teacher in the nearby rural community of Quilcene. Along the way he married writer and teacher Abby Jorgensen and with their two daughters, they settled down to homestead on a beautiful ridge above Chimacum's valley. Through conversational plotting in the Jorgensen's homebuilt sauna, Keith and Eric decided to partner on a cider project in 2008--  to revive the craft of artisan hard ciders and to operate the newly-formed Finnriver Cidery. The early days of the cidery involved Keith and Eric up many a late night, either poring over spreadsheets or leaning over fermentation tanks. While Crystie was working on label designs and sales and marketing plans.


Since those early days, Finnriver’s founders have grown into unique roles along with the farm, orchard, and cidery:


Eric became the 'mathemagician', business manager, chief financial officer and staff banjo player. Keith guided the operations side of things and served as contractor for our many building projects; and Crystie has been the community connector and mission-keeper-- welcoming people to the farm through outreach and seasonal events. The three referred to themselves as Head, Hands and Heart and it was through their balanced partnership and the efforts of an outstanding crew over the years Finnriver has grown into a purposeful and passionate cider company.


Having outgrown our original barn, and searching for good ground to plant a cider orchard, Finnriver began leasing the 50-acre former historic Chimacum Dairy in 2012, located just three miles up the road from our original location. The farm had been protected by conservation easements with Jefferson Land Trust, creating the opportunity for us to work with visionary local investors to renovate and re-purpose this historic dairy into the Finnriver Orchard and to find land partners to help showcase how organic agriculture, rural economy and ecological restoration could all thrive together.


The first day of transplanting trees at the new location in 2013 was also Andrew Byers first day of work at Finnriver.  Andrew was moving from the East coast to the West to be closer to family and had most recently been working as an orchardist and cidermaker at Eve's Cidery in upstate New York.  With his background in botany, and his poetic passion for cider, we welcomed him with open arms and tree branches to Finnriver! Within a year, Andrew was working as Head Cidermaker and has now moved into the role of General Manager.


Change is natural and necessary and we keep growing with it.  Keith has refocused his farm efforts on continuing his family lineage of grain growing with The Chimacum Valley Grainery, a farming, milling, malting and brewing operation based at the original home farm location. Also at the home farm, Janet Aubin and Jeff Horwath continue farming organic blueberries, other organic fruits and veggies and free-range eggs with Stellar J Farm. At the Cidery, Chris Weir, one of our first Finnriver employees and an early member of the cidermaking crew, is back now as Production Manager of the cider barn.  Eric continues as business manager and Crystie as mission-keeper, storyteller and community relationships.


The roots of the cidery began in friendship, farmland and a mission to celebrate the beauty and bounty of the earth, to reconnect people to the land that sustains us and to grow community. Along the way, many crew members, investors, community partners and visitors have contributed to the shape and flow of Finnriver. Now-- with several thousand cider trees in the ground, multiple land partners, and over 50 members of the Cidery crew--  organic farming, craft fermenting and community building continue side by side here.  


ABOUT CHIMACUM

Farming, we believe, is a relationship to the land that is embodied by what we eat and drink. Since the first time Lige brought us his bottle of homemade cider, cidermaking in our barn has been about a passion for interconnection and a process of discovery— a blend of art, alchemy, ancient wisdom, farm ingenuity, scientific method, nature’s magic and adventurous experimentation.


From its unique geography, to the soils that sustain us, and the living history of the people who came before, we celebrate this ground and honor the people and stories that have come to life here through the generations. We offer this collection of history and images to bear witness to the hearts and hands that have lived and worked this land. 

GEOLOGY

Continental glaciers several thousand feet thick scoured this landscape over the last 100,000 years. Over time, episodes of ice, flood and erosion created the Chimacum valley. Then, as the land rebounded from losing the weight of the glaciers, Chimacum Creek found its present day outlet to Port Townsend Bay. Over the last thousand years, prairies and bogs thrived on the nutrients brought from the sea. Organic materials accumulated and decayed, forming peat soils and creating the fertile conditions now.

THE CHEMAKUM PEOPLE

The Native history of Chimacum (Čə́məq̓əm) is multifaceted and emerges from the experiences and perspectives of many cultures and peoples moving through this landscape for 14,000 years, if not longer. Known for its once fertile camas prairie, abundant salmon runs in Chimacum Creek, multiple village settlements, sacred sites, and ample beaver, elk, and deer populations, Chimacum was a lively region that witnessed many millennia of Indigenous dwelling and travel. 

Throughout the 1800s, European settler colonialism devastated Native ways of life and communities. Indigenous people were forced to leave Port Townsend and adjacent areas. Their homes were burned by government officials, and city ordinances legally banned Native people from entering white settlements without a chaperone. Anyone who defied these orders faced hefty fines and possible incarceration. 

We at Finnriver recognize the complexities and complicities around occupying Indigenous land and the importance of locating our own presence here with respect for the presence and legacy of Native cultures and the lineage of historical events. We are working to educate ourselves as a company and crew community to better understand the history of Native tribes of the Olympic Peninsula, Salish Sea, and Pacific Northwest, as well as the far-reaching impact that settler colonialism continues to have on Native nations and communities. 


Read more on our
 Indigenous Land page.

SETTLERS

From the early days of European settler colonialism, starting in the early 1800s, much of the land in this area was operated for forestry and for agriculture, primarily dairy. William Bishop, Sr. was an early pioneer in the Chimacum Valley. He married, by Indian custom, a Snohomish Indian woman named Klastatute. They had three children and their son William Bishop, Jr. purchased this land in 1898, and went on to become a leading political figure and dairyman, with prize-winning Holstein cattle. Along with distinction in the Purebred Dairy Cattle Association “Hall of Fame,” Bishop was the first elected Native American to serve as a senator in the State of Washington and served multiple terms in the state House and Senate until his death in 1934. Senator Bishop married Madeline Ammeter in 1900 and they had three children. With the Senator’s passing, Mrs. Bishop managed the farm with her two sons until her own death in 1956, when the Bishop Dairy Farm was sold to B.G. and Gloria Brown.

THE CHIMACUM DAIRY

B.G. Brown was a young Marine from Kansas City who came to the Northwest during the Korean War when he was assigned to the Bangor and Indian Island bases. Gloria was raised in Port Orchard and Poulsbo. Her father worked in the shipyard in Bremerton but always kept milking cows. Gloria and Brownie dreamed of having their own dairy someday and first purchased the farm on Eaglemount (now Treekhawk Farms operated by their grandson Jason Olsen) and then moved the dairy operation to this farm in the center of Chimacum in 1956.


In addition to his career as a dairyman, Brownie served as County Commission for 20 years, where he advocated for the agricultural interests of Jefferson County with vision and true civic spirit. Gloria Brown operated the Chimacum Cafe and cooked there for many years, offering her classic cafe dinner of soup, salad and ice cream. The Browns had four children: Debbie, Barry, Brad and Jodi, who worked on the farm and at the cafe. Many family members lived on or nearby the farm and the Brown family ran the dairy operation for almost 50 years. From the four children, there were seven grandchildren and there are now over 17 great-grandchildren...and counting! The farm house and farm were a hub of family activities and holiday life for decades. Over time, pieces of the property were sold to the Fire Hall, the Post Office and the Chimacum Schools. Due to the unexpected deaths of B.G. and his son Brad Brown within a short period, and the economic struggles of the small dairy industry, the family had to sell the herd and the dairy closed in 2002. Members of the family still live and farm nearby and are keeping the stories and memories alive.


In 2009 the Jefferson Land Trust launched a ‘working lands’ initiative to preserve farmland in this region and made an agreement with Gloria Brown to place a conservation easement on these 50 acres, ensuring that the farm, prime soils and salmon-bearing creek would be protected forever.

Since 2013, when Finnriver started to moved our orchard and cidery operation up to this historic farm just south of Chimacum crossroads, we have continued to grow our commitment to our mission. To do so, we invited a handful of organization and farming partners to do their good work on this land. Our shared purpose is to explore and model how land and resource conservation, land-based connection and education, organic and ecological farming, and community-oriented rural enterprise can all work and thrive together. You can learn more about this collaborative and the good work of these partners on our 
Land Partner page.


*
http://www.tribalmuseum.jamestowntribe.org/hsg/exhibits/chetzemokatrail/qataylagoon.php

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