THE STORY
Three Generations of Farming Heritage
We are proud of our farm, our heritage and family grown apples for our ciders!
The farm was started by Joe and Dini VanderMarel through hard work and dedication. Joe came to Canada in 1950 and Dini in 1952 from the Netherlands. They met in Toronto and married in 1957. They started small, with rented apple orchards around Clarkson, Ontario and were soon growing some of the best fruit around town. In 1968, they bought the farm in Carlisle, originally started in 1904, where they built their family home and raised four kids that have all worked on the farm.
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Operating as one of Ontario's most renown apple farms and packers, this third generation has looked to expand its offering, while never losing sight of quality, integrity, and community.
The Carlisle Cider Company
Modernizing a Legacy for Generations to Come
Building a legacy through the generations means we have to adapt to the changing world and stay current with what our customers want.
Our new team was born with like-minded and quality focused family friends and neighbours. Coming from farming, business, art, and technical backgrounds, we have worked hard to modernize our 40-acre apple orchard with a shift from all wholesale fresh markets to the addition of farmgate apple sales and our new Hard Dry Cider.
We are so very proud of our progress thus far and hope that our new offerings will ensure many more generations of farming heritage to come.
Our Team
A Few Families, a Ton of Expertise, and a Whole Community Strong
Jeannette VanderMarel & Scott Skinner (& Jimmy!)
Liam, Diane, and Danny Jackson
Mia, Niki, and Jordan de Lima
Jeannette VanderMarel and Scott Skinner are key investors in our farm and always helping out. Jeannette grew up on the apple farm and strongly values the legacy of keeping the farm in the family. As a retired critical care Registered Nurse and successful CEO and Director of publicly traded companies, she brings her organizational skills and business savvy. Scott, a industrial electrician by trade and renaissance man, a jack of all trades and entrepreneur, brings outside industrial skills to ensure modernization and efficiency to our heritage farm. They have been married over 15 years and live in nearby Ancaster.
Dan and Diane Jackson (nee VanderMarel) have been married and have lived in Carlisle for 27 years. They moved into the main farm house with their son to take over on farm management. Diane, our fantastic farm manager, grew up on the farm and continues to work on our family farm for over 30 years now. She has also managed book-keeping, labour management and corporate travel in the past. Dan, a renowned auto body professional, is a hard worker and has maintained the equipment and ensured smooth operations for decades. They are irreplaceable key components to our farm business.
Niki growing up in Burlington, pursued her everlasting passion for art studying Fine Art at Concordia University in Montreal, where she met Jordan. Growing up in Oakville, Jordan went on to study business, later starting his own business, working in banking and finally becoming a Management Consultant, focusing predominantly in Farming and Food Manufacturing. Always aspiring to run a cidery, the two moved to Carlisle in the home adjacent to the farm, attracted by its orchards and one day aspiring to be apart of it. They have now joined the team to continue the family's legacy, while adding a touch of their own.
Janelle Balsillie
Our Master Cider Maker
Growing up on a fruit farm, Janelle's passion for the wine/cider industry developed into an education in wine making, which then brought her into the world of cidermaking, working at top brands around the Southern Ontario region.
She is now taking the lead as our Master Cider Maker, developing our varieties and crafting the brand's taste.