Home Grown Business

Stephenson’s Orchards

Company Background
My family has been making apple cider here since 1918. My grandfather originally was simply making cider to utilize apples he was unable to sell any other way. Through the years our reputation for making great cider has grown, to the point that our cider production is the main part of our business.

Specialty of the House
Our signature product is a freshly made filtered cider. My father started making filtered cider in 1951. This takes extra steps – and thus expense – but our customers/fans think it is worth it. One reason I believe we make a good product is that we have grown apples for four generations. By virtue of being growers, we have special knowledge about the apples. We have seen how the fruit grows, and how different weather conditions affect the taste, juiciness and other characteristics of the fruit. We can tell which apples will make the best cider, and how to blend the apples to take advantage of the best characteristics of each type of apple each season.

Recipe for Success
Our cider mill is on the farm my parents moved to in 1939, which is in a semi-rural area of eastern Kansas City. We typically make around 100,000 gallons of cider each season in our modern, updated and upgraded cider mill. Our cider is available at most local grocery stores and at our retail fruit market on U.S. 40 Highway in Independence, MO.

Contact Information
Stephenson’s Market is located at 16501 E. U.S. 40 Highway in Independence and can be reached at (816)373-4990. Starting Sunday, November 1 the Market will be open 9:00 to 5:00 daily. The Market closes for winter around mid to late November.