Bend Cider Co. is a botanically focused cider company, this means that every flavor of cider we come out with (besides our flagship DRY APPLE) will have some sort of botanical element in it. What does that mean? It means that something from a plant will be associated with each flavor. 

With our ACAI MINT cider the "mint" is the botanical element. When putting this flavor together we thought about how much we love ACAI bowls and how much we love cocktails with mint in them, so why not put this together?

We definitely went out on a limb with this one. 

First, we had a heck of a time sourcing the pure 100% ACAI juice - but we found a company that does this and source from them. Then we infused the spearmint into the Acai cider.... .... We LOVED it! We would normally sample it out first before making a large batch or deciding on putting it in a can, but we didn't with this one- we just took flight and did it. 

Our first "sampling" was at Winterfest 2020 in Bend, Oregon. With our fingers crossed we watched the faces of everyone trying it. It was a HUGE success! This cider is truly something special, it is dry- with a perceived sweetness from the spearmint. No added sugar, no added sulfite and gluten free! The Acai berry give the cider nice tannins and the spearmint is very light and hits you at the end of the tasting experience. 

Since the ACAI MINT cider took "flight" on its own, we wanted to have a bird represent it on the can. The Northern Spotted Owl was first on our mind. It lives in our own backyard and

the IUCN Red List shows this animal to be decreasing in population and near threatened. Protecting our forests is so important for this beautiful creature and for our survival. I know it isn't a lot to put this image on a can but if everyone just tries a little to do their part in some way with conservation and sustainability, we can make a big difference. Our " environmental education donation" for this can went to Think Wild, a nonprofit in Bend, Oregon, here as " a voice for native wildlife on the man-made hazards in our growing, urban landscapes - advising on reducing human-wildlife conflict and promoting wildlife habitat" Think Wild. 

Sheila Dunn does all of our art work, she is a beautiful person and also has a heart for conservation. She blew us away with this Northern Spotted Owl painting for the ACAI MINT can! To find out more about Sheila's art check her out here: https://www.sheiladunnart.com