After six years of business, Buskey Cider has exercised its purchase option and bought its building in Scott’s Addition from Charlie Diradour of Lion’s Paw Development. Scott’s Addition is some of the hottest real estate on the east coast with world class craft alcohol producers, new apartments going up everywhere and a constantly evolving dining and entertainment scene. Buskey Cider is a Richmond cidery owned and operated by a young couple, Will and Elle Correll. This building purchase is both one of the most exciting things they have done in their cider journey and also somewhat scary as pulling together even the down payment was a stretch.
8 years ago Will Correll, founder of Buskey Cider, was 24 and had been searching for a home for his hard cider startup for a couple of years. Will was working to open Buskey on a shoestring budget and had visited close to 100 warehouses trying to find a good fit. Will recognized the potential for Scott’s Addition to become a hot beverage neighborhood but most landlords in the neighborhood were not willing to take a risk on a young unproven entrepreneur. Buskey’s fortunes changed on November 24, 2014 when Gray Gilchrist, who worked for Colliers at the time, introduced Will to Charlie Diradour of Lion’s Paw Development.
“I remember standing out front of the building after a quick tour and Charlie surprised me by offering me the keys on a handshake agreement. Without a building it was very hard to share my vision for Buskey but as soon as I had those keys all of the pieces started falling into place.” said Will Correll.
A college dorm room cider project would soon be the first cidery Scott’s Addition, which would become arguably the hottest craft beverage neighborhood on the east coast. In addition to the excitement of finally having a great space to launch the cidery, the lease came with a purchase option. This Richmond cidery would have the opportunity to operate long-term and even own a building in the neighborhood it would help to put on the map.
Over the years Buskey has added tanks, upgraded equipment, remodeled bathrooms, painted murals, produced hundreds of thousands of gallons of cider and welcomed countless cider drinkers to its tasting room.
While the last couple years have been a real struggle and Buskey’s business is still far off pace of historic numbers due to Covid-19, buying the building was an exciting step in ensuring the cidery will be here for the better days ahead. The purchase of their building in Scott’s Addition is a major step toward increasing and maintaining their presence in Richmond and throughout the Commonwealth.
About Buskey Cider
Buskey Cider opened in April 2016 in the popular craft beverage neighborhood of Scott's Addition in Richmond, Virginia, and has since expanded into their second outpost ‘Buskey Cider on the Bay’ located in scenic Cape Charles. Made from 100% Fresh Pressed Virginia apples, this Richmond cidery focuses on semi-sweet and drier ciders with a wide range of creative infusions and barrel products. Buskey is one of most innovative cideries in the country but is also loved for its classic refreshing apple only ciders. Buskey provides home delivery via www.buskeycider.com in addition to distribution across Virginia to bars and restaurants. Follow Buskey Cider for updates on social media: @buskeycider on Instagram and https://www.facebook.com/BuskeyCider on Facebook. #getbuskey
See more at scottsaddition.com.