KENTVILLE, N.S. —

Apple Valley Foods Inc. is branching into the hard cider business.

The Kentville-based operation already offers customers throughout North America a taste of the Annapolis Valley as a major pie producer within Canada.

The sought-after pies are filled with apples predominantly sourced from the Annapolis Valley, and some crops from Ontario.

Adding hard ciders to Apple Valley’s repertoire seemed like a natural progression given the number of fresh ingredients at the company’s figurative fingertips.

“We’re probably one of the largest apple processors in all of the Valley, all of Nova Scotia, for our apple pies at Apple Valley Foods and it’s a great opportunity… to do something else with it,” said Erik Kimbley, a sales rep and process improvement engineer with Apple Valley Foods.

The company started laying the groundwork for its cider division about a year-and-a-half ago, tapping into the expertise of award-winning wine master Dominic Rivard.

“We’re always looking at new products, ways to be innovative,” said Kimbley.