Hardanger Saft- og Siderfabrikk: Handcrafted cider with a taste of history in every sip

History and tradition run deep at Hardanger Saft- og Siderfabrikk. At Lekve Farm in Ulvik, fruit has been cultivated since the 1850s, but the Hardanger region’s apple growing and cider making traditions date all the way back to the 12th century.

In 2002, Nils Lekve, a pioneer of modern Norwegian cider who was running the farm at the time, travelled to Normandy in France, alongside two fellow apple growers to learn more about the craft of cider making. “There was a desire to create something new,” says Eirik Lekve, farmer and cider maker, and nephew to Nils Lekve. Nils Lekve’s journey led to him founding Hardanger Saft- og Siderfabrikk (Hardanger juice and cider factory) in 2004.

Leikvin, a rosé cider.

Together with other farmers, Nils Lekve worked hard to improve the conditions for the cider industry. Especially important was a new law in 2016, allowing the sale of cider directly on the farm. This marked the beginning of a cider renaissance in Hardanger, with young adults returning to the region to start their own cider ventures. Among them were Eirik Lekve and his wife, Anna Oppedal Tokheim, who left secure jobs in Oslo to embrace a new life producing cider in Hardanger.

The human touch remains central to the process: the apples are hand-picked, and the cider is made using traditional methods. “We are committed to making the best products in a new guise, based on the old method with spontaneous fermentation,” Lekve explains. “This means that we don’t add any form of yeast, but use the wild yeast that’s in the apple peel. It gives the cider a unique flavour that cannot be replicated.”

Making the cider this way takes time. Wild yeast cannot be rushed, so it takes at least three to four months before the cider is ready. The slow fermentation gives the cider a more complex taste. Indeed, the farm has received numerous national and international awards to attest the quality, including winning best of category in Cider World for its apple brandy, APAL.

The business began with three local farmers travelling together to France, and there is still more co-operation than competition between the three farms. Together they make up the fruit and cider route, welcoming guests from all over the world. Starting in the village centre, along the fjord, visitors can walk through the orchards and to the farms. During opening hours they offer samples, with fixed times for tours and cider tastings during summer.

Web: www.hardangersider.no
Facebook: HardangerSaftogSiderfabrikk
Instagram: @hardangersaftogsiderfabrikk