Flat Rock Cider Company makes its hard cider from the orchards of Henderson County, NC — the largest apple-producing county in the state — and runs its “Orchard to the Glass” motto with a production facility in Dana, just outside Hendersonville. It’s a newer, growth-focused cider company rather than a legacy farm winery, and for High Country visitors it works best as one stop on a broader western NC day, paired with the u-pick orchards and cideries that dot the same stretch of Henderson County.
Built Around Local Apples, Not a Legacy Name
Flat Rock Cider Company was founded in 2018 by Jeff Schenk, a beverage-industry veteran with decades in the business — he spent years with Gallo Wine and PepsiCo before running his own restaurant beverage consulting company, Beverage Builders, since 1994. Schenk built Flat Rock Cider Company as an “Orchard to the Glass” operation, buying and pressing apples grown in Henderson County — sourcing from up to fifteen varieties across roughly a dozen local farmers — and pressing, fermenting and packaging everything by hand at one facility. The company’s cidermaking is led by Robby Pitt, a certified cidermaker through Cornell University and the Cider and Perry Producers of America, who started home-fermenting cider in 2014 and turned pro in 2016; operations manager Jeremiah oversees day-to-day production, drawing on a background running breweries and tasting rooms.
What to Taste
Flat Rock’s ciders center on the county’s apple crop, built as fruit-forward, approachable hard ciders rather than dry, wine-style ciders. Past lineups have included the company’s original apple cider alongside blackberry, mango, pineapple and cherry variations, all made from local NC-grown fruit and canned or kegged at the Dana production facility. Because Flat Rock focused for years on retail distribution rather than an on-site tasting experience, the easiest way to taste a wide flight in one place has actually been at their taproom partnership rather than the production facility itself — worth knowing before you plan a visit, since offerings and availability shift with the season.
The Setting and the Experience
For roughly its first five years, Flat Rock Cider Company operated without its own public tasting room, focusing on off-premise retail and distribution across western North Carolina. The company opened a tasting room at its production facility to meet what its team described as overwhelming customer demand to see the process and taste limited releases in person. Separately — and usefully for trip planning — Flat Rock ciders have also been the featured pour at the hard cider taproom at Jeter Mountain Farm in Hendersonville, which for several years served as the de facto public tasting room for Flat Rock’s lineup inside a working u-pick orchard setting. That connection means a single stop at Jeter Mountain Farm can double as a Flat Rock Cider Company tasting for groups who want the orchard atmosphere along with the cider.
What Else Is Nearby
Henderson County is one of the most cider- and apple-dense corners of western North Carolina, home to dozens of u-pick orchards, roadside stands and fellow cideries within a short drive of Flat Rock and Dana. Downtown Hendersonville’s Main Street is a walkable strip of galleries, boutiques and restaurants a few miles away, and the county is part of the region’s broader “Cheers! Trail” of craft beverage stops — meaning a Flat Rock visit slots naturally into a day that also includes Jeter Mountain Farm’s orchard and taproom or another nearby cidery.
Planning Your Visit
Henderson County is a long way from the High Country — figure roughly 105–115 miles and about 2 to 2.25 hours of driving each way from Boone via US-221 and I-40, more with weekend or leaf-season traffic. That distance makes a Flat Rock Cider Company stop a full-day trip rather than a quick outing, and it’s worth building the day around two or three nearby stops — Jeter Mountain Farm chief among them — rather than a single tasting. Flat Rock’s Dana production facility has historically kept limited public hours, so confirm current tasting-room hours directly with Flat Rock Cider Company before finalizing your route. With that much driving on winding two-lane roads in both directions, a private chauffeured vehicle removes the single biggest risk of the day: someone in your group having to stay sober enough to drive two hours home.
Wine Tour Transportation to Flat Rock Cider Company
Ashe County Livery offers private, chauffeured wine tour transportation to Flat Rock Cider Company from Boone, Banner Elk, Blowing Rock, West Jefferson and across NC’s High Country. Our Flat Rock Cider Company trip-planning page covers drive times, tasting-room hours, group sizes and pricing.
Travel in a luxury SUV, sedan, or Sprinter van with a professional chauffeur — everyone in your group gets to taste, nobody has to drive. Plan your Flat Rock Cider Company tour or call (336) 484-1350.
Other High Country wineries we serve: Jeter Mountain Farm · Saint Paul Mountain Vineyards · Urban Orchard Cider Co. — or browse every High Country winery, cidery and meadery we provide transportation to.
Explore More from Ashe County Livery
- High Country Wine Tours — Mountain winery shuttle service
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- Airport shuttles by town: Boone · Blowing Rock · Banner Elk · West Jefferson · Linville · Beech Mountain
- Ashe County Livery — Premium transportation in NC’s High Country
- Request a free quote — or call (336) 484-1350
🍷 Planning a Wine Tour in the NC High Country?
Ashe County Livery offers private, luxury wine tour transportation throughout the Blue Ridge Mountains. Skip the driving and let our professional chauffeurs take you from winery to winery in comfort and style.
Serving Banner Elk, Blowing Rock, Boone, and all NC High Country destinations • (336) 484-1350
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