Cider Canada / Cidre Canada is proud to name the Spirit of Cider Award after the late Grant Howes (2016).
This award recognizes long-standing dedication, mentorship, and leadership that has shaped the Canadian cider community.
Grant Howes grew up in Prince Edward County’s apple-farming community. In 1982, he and his brother established a successful 50-acre pick-your-own orchard in Adolphustown, and from the mid-1970s onward Howes helped manage his family’s Waupoos apple farm (countylive.ca). Though he initially pursued a career in finance – working in Toronto and later British Columbia – he remained drawn to his agricultural roots. After a stint working for a BC cider producer, Howes returned home in the early 1990s to reinvent the family farm through cider making (pictongazette.cacountylive.ca).
In 1995, Howes officially launched The County Cider Company at the Waupoos orchard. By 1996 he had produced his first commercial hard cider, and the following year “Waupoos Cider” was in full production – on store shelves across Ontario (pictongazette.cacountycider.com). Under his leadership, the operation quickly transformed from a modest apple farm into a thriving estate cidery. Howes expanded orchard plantings, introduced specialized cider-apple varieties, and developed a diverse portfolio of craft ciders. As one publication noted, he turned the business “from an apple farm with a cidery to a cidery with an apple farm” within just a few years (winesinniagara.com).
Throughout his career, Howes remained committed to excellence and innovation. He relentlessly experimented in the orchard – planting over 10,000 new apple trees, hand-grafting cuttings from rare heritage cider varieties, and testing dwarf rootstocks and trellis techniques to improve fruit quality (oahf.on.ca). This drive to perfect his craft led to distinctive products like Prince Edward County Ice Cider, which earned Howes the Premier’s Agri-Food Innovation Excellence Award in 2009 (countylive.ca). He also embraced education, teaching cider production and wine technology at local colleges and advising the Niagara College winery program, in order to share his expertise with the next generation (pictongazette.ca).
Beyond his own cidery, Howes was a driving force in the wider industry. He was a founding member of the Fruit Wines of Ontario Association (1992), the Prince Edward County Winegrowers Association (1999), and the Ontario Craft Cider Association (2013) (oahf.on.ca). He served on advisory boards and was a vocal advocate for apple growers and craft cider makers at the provincial level. For years, Howes lobbied successive governments to secure fair taxation and support for cider producers – efforts that finally culminated in a dedicated small cidery support program announced in early 2017 (countylive.ca).
Tragically, Grant Howes’s life was cut short when he died suddenly of a heart attack at his Waupoos home in January 2017, at the age of 60 (countylive.ca). At the time of his passing he was still actively leading his cidery and championing the industry’s causes. His wife and business partner, Jenifer Dean, has since carried on their shared vision – continuing to produce award-winning ciders and to uphold Howes’s legacy at the now nearly 30-year-old County Cider Company (countylive.cacountylive.ca).
Grant Howes’s influence on others in the cider community was profound. He personally encouraged and guided many emerging cider makers, often forming close friendships in the process. Jenifer Dean notes that several now-prominent producers – such as Nick Sutcliffe (Pommies Cider), Chris Haworth (West Avenue Cider), and even a U.S. ciderist, Al Yelvington (Shadow Cider in Pennsylvania) – were among the aspiring ciderists he mentored and “helped follow their own cider dreams.”countylive.ca As Chris Haworth recalls, “When I started my own cider journey… it was Grant who I turned to for advice. He gave his advice freely and passionately. He was my mentor, and along the way he became my friend.”winesinniagara.com Howes was known to promote cider education one conversation at a time – in the early days he would sit in pubs that served his cider, buy pints for patrons, and enthusiastically talk about cider to anyone who would listen (and listen they did)countylive.ca. This grassroots outreach reflected his passion for sharing knowledge and infecting others with his love of real cider.
As an industry leader, Howes’s presence was transformative. Colleagues often observed that “when he talked – people listened,” as he had a unique ability to inspire and unite those around himwinesinniagara.com. He set a tone of cooperation rather than competition among craft cider makers. Nick Sutcliffe attests that Grant “laid the cornerstone of co-operation for the entire craft cider industry” and that “it’s only because of his generosity of spirit that cideries exist in Ontario”winesinniagara.com. Indeed, many smaller producers survived regulatory and market challenges thanks to Howes’s guidance and willingness to share resources. He was also admired for his integrity and fairness – “his ferocious determination to fight for fairness, and against inequalities” in the industry was widely lauded by peerswinesinniagara.com. Through his leadership in industry associations and his personal mentorship, Howes fostered a supportive, family-like cider community. He taught by example, pairing high standards with warm encouragement, and always kept a humble twinkle in his eye even while imparting tough lessonswinesinniagara.com. This combination of expertise, passion, and generosity solidified his reputation as a mentor, advocate, and visionary leader in Canadian cider.
Today, thanks in large part to Grant Howes’s vision and groundwork, the Canadian craft cider industry is thriving. In Ontario alone there are now around 100 craft cider producers, whereas a few decades ago only a handful existed (oahf.on.ca). Prince Edward County – which for many years had only one cidery (Howes’s own) – now boasts about ten local cideries (oahf.on.ca). This explosive growth is widely credited to the trail that Howes blazed through his lobbying, education, and agronomic innovations. Industry colleagues frequently acknowledge that the Ontario cider sector “would not be where it is today” were it not for Grant Howes’s foundational efforts and advocacy (countylive.ca). He fundamentally changed how Ontario (and Canada) views cider, helping secure official recognition of cider as a legitimate artisanal beverage category and paving the way for government support programs that continue to benefit producers (countylive.ca).
Howes’s personal legacy also endures through the institution he built and the people he inspired. The County Cider Company remains a leading light of Canadian cider – still family-run by Jenifer Dean and the team he trained, and still producing award-winning ciders as it approaches its 30th anniversary (countylive.ca). To honor Grant’s memory and passion for craft beverage making, a Grant Howes Memorial Scholarship was established at Niagara College to support students in the cider, wine, and brewing programs (countycider.com). Through this fund, Howes continues to encourage new generations of fermenters and entrepreneurs. In sum, every glass of local cider raised in Ontario today is a tribute to Grant Howes’s legacy. The robust cider culture – from flourishing heritage orchards to collaborative industry networks – bears the unmistakable imprint of his life’s work. His pioneering spirit, much like his beloved orchards, has taken root and will continue to nourish Canadian cider for decades to come.
