The Albemarle County Economic Development Authority approved a matching grant for the relocation and expansion of Potter's Craft Cider, in the Broadway Corridor of Albemarle County in the Woolen Mills District. This matching grant will provide up to $100,000 to Potter's Craft Cider over the next three years, based on targets contained in the performance agreement.

Potter's Craft Cider will move into 11,500 square feet of vacant warehouse space to expand production capabilities and will have larger production tanks, as well as an expanded canning line. The expansion will create eight new jobs and triple production capacity, leading to the purchase of 1.5 million pounds of Virginia-grown apples over the next three years. This project invests $900,000 of new capital and will allow Potter's Craft Cider the opportunity to better meet increasing wholesale demand.

“Potter’s Craft Cider is the quintessential economic development story for Albemarle County – an agribusiness with long roots in our community, which takes locally-grown apples, transforms them into a value-added product that not only supports farmers but also creates production jobs, further activates the rejuvenated Broadway District, and brings revenues into Albemarle County,” said Albemarle County Board of Supervisors Chair Donna Price. “From an economic development standpoint, it simply does not get any better than this!”

“The Economic Development Authority is proud to provide support for the impressive expansion of Potter’s Craft Cider into the developing Broadway Corridor, as it achieves many of the goals established in our economic development strategic plan, Project ENABLE,” said Don Long, Chair of the Economic Development Authority. “This project leverages state funding, partnered with private investment, resulting in exciting growth in Albemarle County.”

Albemarle County will contribute $50,000 as a match for the Virginia Department of Agriculture (VDACS) grant and award $50,000 as a match from the Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID). This grant award to Potter's Craft Cider was announced on July 29, 2022, by Governor Glenn Youngkin. Local funding will come from the Economic Development Investment Pool.