This week’s speaker at West Bay Rotary was Ryan Watts, co-founder of Sea Hag Cider Company in Rockport.
Written by Mimi Edmunds
When Ryan Watts decided to move to Thomaston, he knew he wanted to start a company suited for the “salty” culture of Midcoast Maine. So he thought, Why not cider?
Ryan was a dedicated high school principal by day in St. George, but his passion to start a business that fostered community became paramount once he realized cider could make that intentional community happen. A cidery was by far the best choice because it would not only be feasible, it would be a celebration of coastal Maine.
He and his wife Tanya Fort, a software engineer with a chemistry background, purchased a small building in Rockport. With two five-gallon buckets, they started producing cider in November 2022. The first batch of 250-gallon buckets was a colossal failure when nothing fermented. Ryan winced as he recalled, “It was awful.” So he and Tonya began visiting cideries in Vermont and elsewhere in New England to research how to run a successful cidery. After several months, they returned and tried again. It worked! Now with 100 gallons in 20 kegs of 5 gallons a week and renewed confidence, they officially opened The Sea Hag Cider Company on November 4, 2023.
They chose a logo of a sea hag, as a woman-forward signature for the cidery. It recalls the notion of sea goddesses, honoring the Maine coast, but Ryan says, “In Rockland we didn’t call them goddesses. We called them sea hags, which fits the ‘salty’ culture of the Midcoast.”
It didn’t take long before the company was running out of cider, so they upped it to 200 gallons a week and they still found that they were running out before the end of the month. Today Ryan says he would like to get up to producing 400 gallons a week every month. It’s a big hope. In order to handle such growth, he says they will just move into their garage.
The cidery started with three barrels and today can produce a flight, or six taps on at one time. Ryan says they aim to have 12 in the near future. Each cider has a name and distinctive personality, such as True North, Rockport, Scullery Maids, Storm Warning, Day Break, and Go Blue. He describes Worlds Collide as “a mimosa when worlds (cider and beer) collide.” One can imagine the next six will be just as colorful.
The Sea Hag Cider Company tasting room seats 12 with a standing room of 20. Ryan says it’s a place for everyone and anyone to come, where people from all different backgrounds and social status are welcome. The cidery also welcomes local artists to hang their work in the tasting room. On the horizon, they plan to add furniture and have outside seating and music this summer. He adds they want to have feasts and perhaps even a local festival, celebrating cider in Maine, hosting upwards of 200 people a day.
Ryan’s energy and passion is boundless. Given his history and imagination over the past few years, there’s not much doubt that he’ll see his dreams realized.
“It's all about intention for a community, it’s a story of intention.” Ryan says. “We’re way more than just a cider and a tasting room. We’re a sanctuary for cider enthusiasts searching for a truly authentic experience.”
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Sea Hag Cider Company is located at 315 Commercial Street in Rockport.
Hours: Friday 4 – 9pm, Saturday 12 – 8pm, Sunday 12 – 6pm.
FMI: www.Facebook.com/SeaHagCider/.
