Bring out your fruit, bring out your fruit…
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/08/2021 (664 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Jesse Oberman wants to pick your fruit, Winnipeg. He will come to your home and pick it (and clean up after himself), or you can pick it yourself and he will compensate you.
Oberman makes all-natural cider from “any edible fruit that is grown in your backyard, such as apples, pears, grapes, chokecherries, berries, etc.”
A trained professional sommelier, Oberman and his partner were living in France, working at a winery, and hoping to become wine makers themselves when COVID hit. They soon rushed home to Winnipeg, leaving their dreams behind.
Using his extensive wine background, and frustrated by the food waste of unwanted and unpicked fruit in people’s yards, Oberman has started Next Friend Cider, a Manitoba-made, all-natural hard cider company.
He started by collecting the unwanted fruit of friends and neighbors and fermenting cider in his basement. That space got too small very quickly and he was offered space at Barn Hammer Brewing on Wall Street, where he can “legally make cider so I can sell it”.
Using all-natural Manitoba ingredients, and no preservatives, no water, no sugar, all his products are naturally fermented, without refining or filtration. Oberman says that all his ciders are sparkling and dry. He uses a huge mixture of apples, but loves crabapples the best, as “the sour is appealing”.
Oberman said that this year’s dry growing season is affecting fruit crops and that yield is low.
“The fruit is falling off early and is less ripe. Last year the alcohol content was seven per cent, and this year it is five to six per cent because the sugars are way lower.”
Because he has a regular Monday-to-Friday job, Oberman picks fruit on evenings and weekends. With such a short, quick growing season in Winnipeg he prefers that you drop off your fruit to him, or pre-pick it and he will pick it up.
A portion of Next Friend’s sales are donated to community and environmental groups. Oberman is particularly passionate about food security organizations and reducing food waste, and has chosen to support Direct Farm Manitoba this year.
“We support environmental groups and groups that make sure everyone has access to healthy, wholesome food,” he said.
Next Friend Cider takes time to make – up to a year for some of its offerings. When available, his product is sold at Barn Hammer Taproom and I am told that it sells out very quickly!
For more information visit www.nextfriendcider.com. The company is also on Instagram: @nextfriendcider
Wendy Hrynkiw
East Kildonan community correspondent
Wendy Hrynkiw is a community correspondent for East Kildonan. Email her at wendyhrynkiw@shaw.ca