An Autumn Tradition is Back

Autumn is upon us and that means it’s time for that age-old Michigan tradition of combining the joys of fresh apple cider with the mouthwatering gooey sweetness of apple cider donuts.

The tradition is common throughout the Midwest and Northeast regions of the US, but no place does as better than we do here in Michigan. In particular, we are lucky to have several local, family-owned operations that have been doing it right for a very long time.

And better yet, we’re proud to call a few of them our partners, which means you can enjoy and take home the pleasure of their fresh-made products right from one of our stores. Without further adieu, let’s introduce these great Made In Michigan products:

Hy’s Cider

Hy’s Cider Mill offers a long tradition dating back to the 1930s, when Joe and Ettie Goldstein purchased a 160-acre farm on 37 Mile Road in Romeo, Michigan.

At the time, the 160 acre farm was split in two halves; one for crops and livestock, the other an apple orchard. Joe began picking apples and selling them at Eastern Market in Detroit. As Joe’s sons grew older, each took a section of the farm as their own to work on. Gustave oversaw the crops and livestock while Hyman took care of the apple orchard. Later on, Hyman married Ruby Repitor and they had six children: Jon, Jim, Jan, Joni, Jay, and Jeremy. Hyman and his children continued caring for the orchard and selling apples in Eastern Market, just like Grandpa Joe did. In 1967, Hyman took his crop to a cider mill in Mount Clemens, where they pressed the apples to make apple cider, and thus, “Hy’s Cider” was born, available at the time in Eastern Market.

In the fall of 1973, Hyman and his family opened Hy’s Cider Mill. The first cider press they had could make 200 gallons of cider an hour. Today, the press can produce 1,200 gallons per hour!

Today, Jim cherishes all the memories he has spending time with his dad at Eastern Market and at the mill. Now he looks forward to creating new memories and teaching his three children, Luke, Hyley, and Manny, how to run Hy’s Cider Mill!

Hy’s Cider is available at our Troy and Saint Clair Shores locations.

Blake’s Cider

Blake Farms is a family-owned and operated orchard and cider mill rooted in strong family traditions and a commitment to excellence.

Their historic farm was started in 1946 by Gerald and Elisabeth Blake and their thirteen children. It was one of the very first “Pick Your Own” orchards in Michigan. Blake’s has expanded their operations to three separate locations with over 500 acres of orchard and farmland consisting of pick-your-own apples, strawberries, raspberries, cherries, peaches, pumpkins, assorted vegetables and U-cut Christmas trees. They are famous for their award-winning apple cider and have been voted the number one apple orchard in Michigan by AAA authorities.

Since its opening, Blake Farms has evolved into a family entertainment farm featuring train rides, pony rides, hayrides, cornfield mazes, several animated attractions and many other family-oriented activities.

We proudly carry multiple products from Blake’s, including jams, hard ciders, apple sauce, salsa … and yes, plenty of their must-experience fall apple cider.

Many of their products are available at all three locations, but their cider is sold exclusively at our Clinton Township location.

Tiny Apple Store Donuts

Of course, you have to have great apple cider donuts to accompany world-class ciders like Hy’s and Blake’s. Although both also make their own donuts, we’re spreading the love by offering the amazing product from Bay City’s Tiny Apple Store.

They’ve been owned and operated by Tim Slachta for over 11 years. His from-scratch apple cider doughnuts are made fresh daily, and with no preservatives! They are a true treat that the entire family will enjoy, so get them while supplies last.