Five Maidens Cider Co., located at 327 Polk St., is rooted in education, family and a shared love for hard cider. Co-owners Andrew David and Brian Williams first met in elementary school in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, and maintained their friendship over the years, eventually launching the cidery in 2021.
David, a former middle school English teacher and current reading specialist at Lehigh Valley Academy Charter School, and Brian Williams, who works in sales at ___, said their initial intention was to start a brewery. When David’s wife was diagnosed with celiac disease, they decided to pivot from wheatgrain-derived products to apple-based ones so she could enjoy them as well.
Five Maidens gets its name both from its denotation of “young fruit trees” and, more abstractly, David and Williams’ combined five young children. However, the pair began brewing beer in their backyards from home-brew kits in 2009 — long before having children.
Their flavored alcoholic apple ciders have earned accolades in farm shows and cider competitions alike.
In January, Five Maidens entered six ciders into the annual Pennsylvania State Farm Show and returned home with an award ribbon for each entry. Their pineapple-infused “Under the Sea” cider earned the business “Best of Show,” beating all other entries.
Five Maidens began entering products in the Farm Show during its first year of operation. David said this year’s show was by far the most fruitful in terms of awards.
“We weren’t expecting to get one (award) after the other, after the other,” David said. “Then, when (we won) Best of Show, it was a great feeling.”
The cidery’s social media manager, Devynn Goodspeed, ’22, said the mug club allows members to receive monthly cider mugs with fresh designs and has helped Five Maidens maintain a loyal group of regulars.
Goodspeed said Five Maidens is made up of individuals who love where they work. Many employees have other day jobs, she said, but dedicate time to the cidery because of the community and their passion for the work.
“No one makes a lot of money,” she said. “It’s just for the heart of having a place to be and hang out and getting to share with people.”
David said his wife is heavily involved in organizing and hosting events such as Kahoot!, Trivia and music bingo. Customers can find a dedicated kids corner with a television playing Joe Brumm’s “Bluey.”
Goodspeed, whose relationship with Five Maidens dates back to her senior year of college at Lehigh, returned this past year to assist with digital marketing.
After showing social media posts she created for her day job at Blue Ridge Communications to bartenders at Five Maidens, they reached out to ask if she could bring her expertise to their business. She said her role is to boost engagement online by spotlighting employees and upcoming events.
“It makes me feel like family because (Five Maiden’s staff) remembered who I was by being a loyal customer, and noticed that I was interested in marketing and design,” Goodspeed said. “I’m just trying to increase the foot traffic here, because (they’re) really great people.”
Aside from planning special events and promoting the cidery online, bartender Jeff Lillie took a different approach to marketing and assumed the role of “Mr. Maiden.”
“Mr. Maiden,” Five Maidens’ unofficial mascot, is a large red apple. Lillie said the mascot hasn’t made an appearance in a couple of years but left an impression on passersby when he did.
“Mr. Maiden” first appeared at Musikfest in 2022 during the cidery’s one year anniversary celebration. Lillie said the mascot’s last appearance resulted in him and David’s wife being asked to leave the venue for distributing stickers.
“It’s a different side of marketing,” Goodspeed said. “The stuff I do isn’t always so memorable, but people will remember an apple.”
Over the past five years, Five Maidens has taken different creative approaches like these to spread appreciation for cider in the Lehigh Valley. David and Williams said they love their cider and want others to appreciate it as well.
“What I love most about Five Maidens is the way people learn what cider can be versus what they’ve probably been accustomed to with the mass-produced Angry Orchards of the world,” Williams said. “Giving an education to the customer and changing their perspective, that’s probably one of the coolest things for me.”