Detroit has a Black-owned cider mill now, complete with hayrides, goats, and fresh produce

Our autumnal pandemic prayers have been answered: there's a cider mill in Detroit now and we want to go to there.

Located near the Lodge at Lawrence and Woodrow Wilson Street on a four-acre plot where Peck Elementry School once stood, Detroit Farm and Cider is the first cider mill in the city and offers all of the classic items people often have to travel cross-county to experience, WXYZ reports.

At its head is Detroit native Leandra King, whose 139 apple, cherry, pear, and peach trees are the heart of Detroit Farm and Cider.

“It was one of my fondest memories, going to Parmenter's," King told WXYZ, referring to the Northville cider mill. "I’ve been to Blake's. I just remember going to Yates as a kid, and I just wanted to recreate that for the City of Detroit.”

More than just recreate, Detroit Farm and Cider is adding some unique touches to the cider mill experience. In addition pumpkins, hayrides, and cider and doughnuts — which are brought in from Parmenter's due to frost that ruined her chances at pressing her own cider this season — they also have goats, a solar-powered farm, fudge, bonfire, beehives, a rock wall tree, and a zip line. On Halloween, the cider mill will host Dixon's Violin, who will perform in the farm's greenhouse.

In an effort to remain accessible to the community Detroit Farm and Cider serves, the mill is offering discounts for Detroit Public Schools and most of the locally sourced food and beverage items are available for purchase using EBT.

Admission to the farm is free. Hayrides will cost you $3, and food and beverages have their own pricing.

“We’re probably losing money,” King said. “But we’re so passionate about what we’re doing and we want to make this work.”

Detroit Farm and Cider is open Sundays between 1 p.m.-7 p.m. through Dec. 5. For more information visit DetroitFarmandCider.com.

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