OUR STORY
We’re a small, 18-acre permaculture orchard and cidery in South Albany, Vermont—just down the road from where co-owner Katherine von Stackelberg grew up. It’s run by three people, two horses, and a shared love of permaculture, good cider, and working in step with the land.
From the beginning, Garth and I knew we wanted to farm. We bought an old homestead—a once-thriving family farm that had gone quiet after years of decline. The land had been logged where it could be, leaving mostly tired pasture behind. Still, it had good bones. Garth had already spent a long time studying the craft of cider—through years of hands-on experimentation, deep study, and time spent in England learning directly from multi-generational cidermakers who generously shared their knowledge and craft.
Owners Katherine von Stackelberg & Garth Jonson
We quickly realized that a monoculture orchard was going to require a lot of work and inputs in order to get going. Thinking ecologically and following the principles of natural systems, we landed on a permaculture design informed by a biodynamic management style. The result is a permaculture orchard that emphasizes the apples, but follows a canopy design based on biodiversity. That means for every apple tree, there’s a pear or plum or peach, some other fruit or nut tree, as well as a nitrogen fixer, like black locust or similar.
Then there’s the next canopy down, that includes all the berries – serviceberry, arconia, seaberry, elderberry, lingonberry, raspberry, so many! Finally there’s a lowest canopy that includes all the wildflowers, medicinal herbs, bulbs, and perennials. We planted virtually every single plant found in the orchard. And we have never used a single synthetic input, fertilizer, or chemical -- just compost and whey from our neighbor, Sweet Rowen Farm.
South Albany isn’t an easy place to farm. The winters are long, the cold cuts deep, and the snow comes heavy. Even as the climate shifts, this corner of Vermont remains a tough environment—for people, animals, and plants alike. But that challenge is part of what makes the fruit so exceptional. Resilience builds flavor.
Each fall, we harvest over 80 varieties of apples, once a year, all by hand. Fermentation typically starts with wild yeast and unfolds naturally—some batches move from stainless steel to barrel, others from barrel straight to bottle. The path depends on the season, the fruit, and the instincts of our cidermaker (Garth) who lets the apples guide the process.
There’s no such thing as a bad day when you’re working with nature. We’re fortunate to spend each day in close relationship with this land—observing, tending, and trusting the natural systems to guide us. Every decision is intentional: no chemicals, no fertilizers, just careful, responsive farming rooted in respect. That approach shapes everything. These apples don’t just reflect the soil and climate of South Albany—they carry the imprint of how they were grown. Even with the same varieties, no other orchard, and no other cider, could produce this exact character. This cider is inseparable from the way the apples are grown to the way we make it.
-Katherine von Stackelberg, Orchardmaster
MEET THE TEAM
Katherine
Owner and orchard steward, Katherine is the vision and heart behind it all. You'll find her out in the fields each day, often alongside the horses, tending the land with quiet devotion. Her deep care for this place infuses every bottle we make. Folks come for the cider—but they stay for the joy of knowing Katherine.
Garth
Garth is our cider maker—skilled, intuitive, and deeply rooted in the craft. Trained in traditional English methods, he brings a quiet precision and reverence to every ferment. Over time, he and the cider have become inseparable—each batch a reflection of his care, patience, and practiced hand.
Stevie
A steady hand behind the scenes, he moves between orchard and ciderhouse with quiet skill and care. Whether tending trees, pressing fruit, or coaxing life back into machines, he keeps the whole system humming—root to bottle. If it has moving parts, he can fix it. If it needs doing, he’s already on it.
Jimmy
More than just a horse—he’s a trusted partner--and also comes from England--the Yorkshire Dales. Moving through the fields beside Katherine each day, he helps guide the rhythms of the farm with grace and quiet strength. He’ll gladly accept an apple now and then, but his true gift is grounding this place in tradition—where the bulk of the work is done by hand, and relationship shapes every task.
Coolio
He's just in it for the apples- and a good time.
FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM
@echodale_farm
