Cider prices will be higher this year

WEST SENECA, N.Y. (WIVB) - The spring freeze and dry summer have brought the apple crop down by about 40 percent this year in western New York.

"The cost to procure the fruit is more than double what it was last year. The price on the shelf hasn't quite gone up double, but there is a significant increase this year,"  said Garrett Mayer of Mayer Brothers.

Blackman Homestead Farms said they have had to raise prices about 20 to 25 percent. Though the drought has upped the price, it has also helped the taste of this year's batch of cider.

"We made our first batch of apple cider and it was very tasty and I don't see a change in that. Sometimes the dry weather the sugars come out a little stronger," Bob Blackman explained.

Mayer says prices have not hurt business though. In fact, they were able to open early this year.

"They might be buying more donuts than cider, but we have seen more customers than we usually see in August, which has been great. It doesn't seem to be slowing people down much," said Mayer

He also said that when spring comes the apple availability will be lower and cider production will likely be discontinued earlier than normal this year. Any long term impact on the apple crop is still an unknown.

"That we can't tell for sure. Stress on trees. Last year we had a wet season and this year we had a dry season, which can do the reverse and still put stress on the tree. So we really don't know until we get out of this," Blackman said.