Great Bear Apple Drive

WE ARE ACCEPTING APPLES AT OUR TASTING ROOM DURING OPEN HOURS: M-TH (4-8PM) F-SUN (12-8PM)

Grab a ladder and join us in shaking down apples for the Great Bear Apple Drive! This year, we are accepting apples from September 13th till October 31st (unless otherwise noted). For every 40 pounds of apples you bring to Western Cider’s tasting room, we will give you a $5 voucher for cider. We would prefer your apples contained in a fruit box. If you are bringing more than 200 pounds, arrange a separate time by emailing michael@westerncider.com. Please, no rotten, bruised, or open fleshed apples. Worms are OK! Also, we are not accepting fruit other than apples.

If you are in need of help collecting apples in your yard, contact elissa@greatbear.org. They can arrange pickers to assist you.

Every fall, we team up with the Great Bear Foundation to create a unique, community cider. For years, the foundation has run the Bears and Apples Program in attempt to keep bears from scavenging apples in Missoula’s urban areas. Volunteer crews are organized to collect apples around the valley. Now, those apples are being used to create a cider called the Great Bear Community Cider and 10% of proceeds from the sale of the beverage is donated back to the foundation.

After the apples are collected, they are pressed into juice, fermented, packaged, and eventually sold in our tasting room and local markets. Lookout for the Great Bear Community Cider in 2022! 10% of proceeds are donated to The Great Bear Foundation.