When Karl duHoffmann left the world of theater behind, it wasn’t because he had run out of stages to perform on; it was because he’d found something else worth spotlighting: the transformative magic of apples. 

Karl’s journey into cider began as an experiment; a curiosity shared with his friend Andrew Emig. What started as a hobby in distilling turned into something much more enduring. They sourced juice from the legendary Soons Orchards and distilled small batches of brandy at Tuttletown Spirits. As barrels filled, they discovered something even more compelling than the brandy itself: Pommeau. 

“The Pommeau was just… beautiful,” Karl remembers. “We tasted it a few years in, and we were like, "Yeah. This is something.’” That something became the backbone of what would evolve into Orchard Hill Cider Mill. With the addition of Jeffrey Soons, Karl and Andrew officially moved from hobbyists to cidermakers. 

Orchard Hill was never about trends. It was about taste, time, and terroir. Having worked with well-known sommeliers in Michelin rated restaurants in the world of fine wine influenced the cidermaking approach at Orchard Hill. Orchard Hill doesn’t chase the market—it honors it. “We’re very purist, very old school,” Karl says. “We don’t use additives. No concentrates. No dilution. Just great fruit, traditional methods, and patience.” 

Their estate-grown apples, 99% of which are cultivated at Soons, serve as the foundation for Karl’s favorite offerings: the iconic Red Label (a bottle-conditioned, non-disgorged cider), the bittersweet-forward Bitters & Sharps, and of course, the trailblazing Ten66 Pommeau. “We were the first to really bring it to market in a meaningful way,” Karl says proudly. “It’s the Pommeau that launched a thousand others.” 

Orchard Hill’s approach is marked by intention. Ciders are aged oxidatively with pump-overs, developing complexity and body in a world that often prizes speed and sweetness. Even bottling is deliberate. “Cans just don’t do cider justice,” Karl says, unflinchingly. “There’s beauty in a bottle. There's age-ability. There’s ceremony.” 

But Karl is not immune to the pressures facing small producers. “The market is contracting. Distribution is tough. The industry is in survival mode,” he says candidly. Yet his solution isn’t retreat, it’s reach. “I’d love to see Orchard Hill grow its footprint, get more bottles out, build up our club. Get Ten66 into the world.” 

In a cider industry wrestling with change, Karl duHoffmann is a voice of experience and resilience. He champions substance over flash, quality over quantity. “You don’t need everything figured out to start. “We didn’t have cider apples, or equipment, or capital,” he says. “But if you want to do it, do it. You’ll figure it out.” 

In that spirit, Orchard Hill Cider Mill is not just cidery; it’s a story of transformation, from stage lights to cellar barrels, driven by curiosity and sustained by craft. For Karl, the show is just getting started.