Ahead of harvest season, a local cider company closed its doors in Florence last weekend, following the closure of its storefront in Cambridge in the spring.
The Artifact Cider Project taproom in Florence is closed, as first suggested by a sign posted inside the space Aug. 26 announcing it would close at the end of the weekend, and confirmed since by co-founder Soham Bhatt.
However, the company will continue to produce its ciders at the Florence location and distribute them to stores and restaurants in Massachusetts, according to Bhatt. They’re also sold online to ship to customers directly.
Artifact’s Cambridge location at The Station in Central Square closed in May, as announced on its Instagram page that month.
“Even though things were going pretty well, it just became an untenable business situation, so we had to make the hard decision to close it in Cambridge,” Bhatt said.
Artifact Cider Project was founded in 2014 by Bhatt, an Upton native, and Jake Mazar, of Mendon, as a passion project to help sustain local orchards. It focuses on crafting ciders using fruits from local orchards and innovative brewing techniques, according to the company’s website.
Bhatt said the COVID-19 pandemic and the recession contributed to the taprooms in Florence and Cambridge closing. He said it was a shame to close them because it limits the amount of Artifact Cider Project products that can be showcased to customers.
“Closing a taproom is really just an effort to streamline the business a little and just kind of make sure we can focus on the things that we’re best at, which is like trying to make the best ciders that we possibly can,” Bhatt said.
Bhatt said the company was contending with more-expensive material costs, from aluminum to shipping palettes. A frost in May also devastated the apple crop at the Pioneer Valley and New York orchards they usually use, so they had to put extra effort into sourcing their apples this year.
Bob Kelley is a co-founder of Mass Brew Bros, a blog focusing on craft beers and occasionally cider houses, wineries, and distilleries. He said he was caught off guard when Artifact recently announced its closure.
Artifact Cider Project production facility and taproom in Florence, as seen January 2020. (Hoang ‘Leon’ Nguyen / The Republican)
“That does make me a little sad that they don’t have a place because I think having a space, having a dedicated space, to serve your product is always a good way to connect with the public,” Kelley said.
Kelley said taprooms like Artifact Cider Project have become like local watering holes and customers build attachments to the space.
“I like that people have a passion and a dream and an excitement about creating a business and doing something and sets it up in a town that they care about and serving the local community,” Kelley said.
The pandemic especially wreaked havoc with the Cambridge location, which finished construction in 2020 just as businesses were shutting down, Artifact explained in the May 25 Instagram post.
“We did everything we could,” the statement on Instagram read, “Our world changed, and while things have built back into a new normal, our project on Mass Ave is heartbreaking collateral damage.”
Despite the challenges, Bhatt said he is motivated to continue making cider because he is passionate about their mission.
“I really do truly believe in the mission of what we’re trying to do, which is trying to showcase the Northeast both culturally and by connecting this kind of amazing agricultural product we have to customers,” Bhatt said.
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