Marketing with Purpose: A Conversation with Finnriver Farm & Cidery

In the heart of Washington's Olympic Peninsula, Finnriver Farm & Cidery stands as a testament to how businesses can blend commerce with community and environmental stewardship. I sat down with their Marketing Director, Laura Prendergast to explore how they communicate their mission while growing their brand.

Tell us about your journey to Finnriver and what drives your work there.

My journey to Finnriver began with a love of storytelling and connection to the land. I've always felt most grounded when outdoors, and I had been working in the outdoor industry while admiring Finnriver as a customer. I loved visiting the cider garden in Chimacum and admired the intersection of community, sustainability, and creativity. I wanted to be part of something that wasn't just a business, but a mission—something that nourished both people and planet.

How do you balance promoting Finnriver's cider with communicating its social and environmental impact?

Many of our ciders are essentially a message in a bottle. For example, we've worked with Jefferson Land Trust to protect Finnriver's 50 acres of organic farmland. We recently collaborated with them on a cider promoting their efforts to establish a community forest on Chimacum Ridge, which is visible from our organic orchard. Our cider maker used Douglas fir boards harvested from the ridge as an infusion in the cider, which also incorporated Finnriver-grown Perry pears, black elderberries, organic local blueberries, and wild plums from the Chimacum Valley.

One dollar from every bottle sold supports the community forest project. The cider itself becomes a message of community collaboration, expressing the flavors of the land and our commitment to preserving these beautiful spaces for future generations. Our cider-making process considers social and environmental impact at every step, which makes authentic storytelling natural.

Beyond traditional metrics like ROI (return on investment), how do you measure the success of Finnriver's marketing campaigns?

For me, it's about engagement and the quality of connections. Are people sharing their experiences at Finnriver or with our cider? Are they bringing friends to connect with the land? Are they opening bottles of our cider shared in community and discussing sustainable agriculture? 

There's magic that happens on the farm—open space for children to play, a restored salmon creek, heirloom apple and pear trees serving as the backdrop for community gatherings. Seeing our mission manifest in human joy feels more valuable than Google Analytics numbers on a screen.

How do you ensure your marketing messages resonate with both impact-conscious consumers and those less familiar with Finnriver's mission?

We focus on creating layered messaging. On one level, it's simple: Finnriver makes delicious ciders with unique flavors like habanero and black currant. For those who are curious or care more deeply, we offer insights into our farming practices, values, and sourcing. We aim to meet people where they are, ensuring that even if they're just here for the cider, we have something delicious for them. This approach is reflected in our recent label redesign. While we've always been rich on language, we're now incorporating more icons for quick visual storytelling, especially for those scanning products in a busy store. We maintain our detailed storytelling for those who want to dive deeper.

What marketing challenges are unique to Finnriver, and how have you addressed them?

A key challenge is balancing our roots as a small, local, farm-based cidery with brand growth. We don't want to lose the intimate community feel that defines us. To address this, we've focused on partnerships that reflect our values, ensuring that growth doesn't dilute our mission, whether through collaborations with other organic farms or B Corps.

How do you collaborate with team members to ensure marketing accurately reflects the company's impact initiatives?

Collaboration is one of our core values, and we have an incredibly collaborative team. Communication is key—our orchard manager texts when they're pruning or grafting, thinking I might want to capture the moment. Team members alert me when a delivery of local apples arrives or when they spot a goshawk using one of our new perches in the orchard.

I work closely with our teams to ensure our external messaging reflects the real work being done. From cider makers to our sustainability manager to taproom staff, we regularly meet to align our messaging and ensure authenticity.

What's Finnriver's most impactful marketing channel?

While social media is significant, our most impactful marketing channel is actually our in-person experiences. Whether it's visiting the farm for a farm-to-table meal at the cider garden or attending one of our community events, there's something special about connecting people directly to the land where the cider is made. That experience becomes a story they carry with them and share, creating a ripple effect.

How can people best support Finnriver's mission?

Joining our cider club is one of the best ways to support us directly. It works similarly to a CSA model for farmers, helping us manage and plan production while allowing our cider makers creative freedom with small-batch productions. These exclusive releases often feature seasonal organic ingredients that wouldn't be possible in larger batches. The club supports our commitment to organic and wild-harvested ingredients while helping generate year-round revenue.

Any final thoughts to share?

Finnriver's work is just one piece of a larger effort to create a more sustainable future. When someone chooses our cider, they're not just supporting a drink—they're supporting a vision for a healthier, more connected world. We're grateful for an audience who appreciates that vision and our values.

Meet Laura Prendergast, Marketing Director at Finnriver Farm & Cidery

Laura Prendergast is the Marketing Director at Finnriver, where she leverages her passion for storytelling to amplify the brand’s mission. For creative inspiration, she takes a walk through the organic orchard.