This was a family business, started in 1949, until Todd Valendza and his wife Lisa bought it four years ago. He was a self-described “corporate guy” with expertise on the accounting and operations side. She has the know-how to handle packaging design and advertising. Both wanted to be their own bosses and were looking for just the right opportunity. They jumped at the chance to take over this little enterprise in Columbiana, Ohio and grow it into something bigger and better.
“We’re both from the area,” says Todd, “and thought Hays had the best apple cider on the planet. We wanted to keep making cider and expand the product line with other natural, wholesome fresh pressed juices.”
Some of the apples they use come from their own trees but they’re also buying them, along with concord grapes, from farms all over Ohio, Pennsylvania, and western New York. In the fall, they sell jugs and jars of juice at the original farmstand. But the products are available year round at many Cleveland area grocery stores including Heinens, Giant Eagle, and Whole Foods.
“We take a lot of pride in what we do,” Valendza says. “What I like best about my job is seeing people’s reaction when they taste our juices.”
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