The family business prospered and chugged along producing cider for 70 years. In the 1920s, Mayer Brothers started offering baked goods, maple syrup and other items to go along with their own brand of cider. Hard cider was introduced in 1936. Jacob’s son John ran the business until 1938, when John’s sons Earl, Elmer and Allen took over.
By the 1980s, Mayer Brothers was ready to expand even more. With the purchase of the former Gerber Baby Foods facility in Barker, the business was able to add hot filled juices, drinks and greater cider processing capacity. Spring water, drawn from mineral-rich springs in the Alleghany Mountains, was added to the product line in 1990.
Today, Mayer Brothers has become the largest processor of cider in North America. It’s now operated by the fourth and fifth generations of the Mayer family, who are dedicated to recycling every byproduct of the manufacturing process—for example, apple peels, cores and skins become a flour-like thickener used in baked goods. Mayer Brothers is certified as a Virtually Zero Waste to Landfill facility by Underwriters Labs.
“I think we’re pretty unique,” says Garrett Mayer, who with his father, John—Allen’s son, and brother Eric, works side by side with the company’s employees.
Over the years, Mayer Brothers has learned to concoct the most flavorful cider, which takes a balance of sweetness and acidity. This year’s batch is a bit sweeter than usual, Garrett says.
The family has seen their customers grow up with them, as many people return to Mayer Brothers Cider Mill in West Seneca each fall. The store occupies the same building that housed the original cider press and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
More than 10,000 folks per week visit the store to sample cider and enjoy pies, donuts, strudel, maple syrup, artisan cheese and other goodies. The apple pies are especially wonderful, and the apple cider slushies are a perennial favorite. New products this year include sparkling apple juice made from local apples and carbonated in 12-ounce bottles, which can be purchased at the store and local markets. The store opens for the season in late summer and remains open seven days a week until just after Thanksgiving, when the weary apple mashers take a well-deserved break.
Mayer Brothers Cider Mill epitomizes many things that are great about Western New York: local brands; historic businesses; fresh, local foods; green business initiatives including sustainability, reuse and recycling; and community involvement through support of local, organic farmers, other local businesses and charities.
Find more information about Mayer Brothers Cider Mill here, or visit their Facebook page.
Visits to local businesses enrich the lives of residents of Canterbury Woods, a continuing care retirement community that’s just a short drive away from the Mayer Brothers Cider Mill. Nestled onto 62 peaceful acres in suburban Williamsville, this warm, welcoming community inspires folks to live their best retirement life in lovely surroundings that are suburban yet close to the urban excitement of Buffalo.
If you’d like more information about retirement living at Canterbury Woods, please contact us or call 716-929-5817. If you prefer living in a more urban, contemporary setting, visit Canterbury Woods Gates Circle or call 716-929-5811 to find out how you can create your perfect retirement life in the heart of Buffalo.
