Fishback & Stephenson named top Iowa cidery

FAIRFIELD — Fairfield cider company Fishback & Stephenson was named the Iowa Cider Producer of the Year at the New York International Cider Competition.

It was the second year in a row the company has won the award. Hopi James, one of the owners of the company, said Fishback & Stephenson shipped cider to the competition, which was tasted during a blind taste test.

“It’s amazing, and we’re super honored and surprised,” James said upon learning of the honor. “We work really hard to make our handcrafted cider delicious, and to find flavors everyone likes. We hope to continue producing wonderful cider.”

In addition to producing cider, Fishback & Stephenson operate a restaurant in their building north of Fairfield on Pleasant Plain Road. James said business is getting back to normal since the pandemic began, and the restaurant is able to remain open five days a week. The company is hosting more events, too, such as holiday parties.

James is one of the four co-founders and owners of the business. The other three are Cole Fishback, Annalisa Thompson and Clint Stephenson. The business distributes cider in Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and Kansas. A new feature this year is that the company was approved to ship cider to 40 states.

“That’s been a game-changer,” James said. “Before, we could only sell to our distributors, but now we’re selling to consumers in states like New York and California, who can go on our website, order cider, and have it shipped to their doorstep.”

James said people from all over the country traveled to the Midwest and found the company’s cider at sites such as the Des Moines Airport, but they couldn’t buy it when they returned to their home state. Now they can, James said.

“This direct-to-consumer sale is exciting,” she said.

James said the company just acquired its own canning machine, so it can produce more cider without having to rely on a mobile canning unit to visit. She said it’s also collaborated with comedian Kevin Smith from the movie “Clerks” to produce a limited edition of cider cans.

“It’s been fun because he’s been posting on Instagram about us, and a lot of his fans are ordering these limited edition cans. It’s a nice way of getting more people to try our product.”