Four years ago, the Stowe community said aloha to the Windlers, a family who moved here and started up a hard cider company named after the town.
Now, the Stowe community is once again saying aloha to the Windlers.
The family is moving back to Hawaii, where they lived before moving to Stowe, before husband-and-wife team Stefan and Mary Windler started Stowe Cider, and where they had three children — each one born on a different island.
Don’t worry, though. Production of the cans of High and Dry, the kegs of Safety Meeting, the bottles of Gin and Juice and the rest of the cidery’s “core lineup” will still continue, with the Windlers’ business partner and fellow cider-maker Mark Ray running the show.
“We’re just big-picture from now on, no more day to day,” Stefan said.
He said they’re going to get into the spirit-making business when they get re-established in Hawaii, and Mary is going “to return to the water” and get her captain’s license.
Mary already headed back to the island of Kauai this week to get things settled in their new home, leaving Stefan behind to take care of selling the house, and leaving the three kids — Finnian, Jude and Picca, to finish the school year at Stowe Elementary.
It’s going be to the longest she’s ever spent away from her children. And that’s part of the reason for the Windlers moving back to the land of aloha. They’ve been spending most of their time growing the company and, in Mary’s case, tending bar at Tap 25 and Rimrocks.
“I hardly saw my kids for a year and a half. I had an au pair. And that’s not who I am. I’m a mom. I just love being around my kids, and I’m not the kind of mom who wants somebody else to raise my kids,” Mary said. “I lost a lot of time with my children that I can’t get back. And he (Stefan) was down there every single night to 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 in the morning, sleeping down there in front of the little heater.”
The hard work paid off, and Stowe Cider came along at just the right moment, as craft hard cider has become a popular alternative for non-beer drinkers. It’s an easily recognizable brand, with its winged apple and simple logo and crisp white cans. And its name.
“It just had a good ring. And it’s a good place and people know it,” Stefan said.
Added Mary, “It’s so iconic.”
Back to the sun
The Windlers are saying aloha, too, to the Vermont weather. They’re water people, and the dark days and long winters have just taken their toll. But you can’t even mention the people of Stowe without getting Mary watery-eyed.
“I’m gonna miss this place, beyond words,” she said. “The people who make it up. I think it’s the most special place I’ve ever lived in my entire life.”
Added Stefan, “It doesn’t get any better than this. And we’ve lived in a lot of different communities.”
The Windlers get downright annoyed at the notion that Stowe is perceived from the outside as elitist.
“People think it’s a snobby town, but it’s not. There are so many good-hearted people,” Mary said. “The whole community comes together and just wraps their arms around you.”
That bonhomie came from other beverage makers in the area, with folks from The Alchemist, Trapp Family Brewing and Rock Art helping out in the early goings.
The Windlers will still communicate with the Stowe Cider crew remotely to help with decisions. But they probably won’t have their product sent to them.
“I’ve had enough cider for a while,” Stefan said.
The Windlers are pretty avid snowboarders, with Mary and Picca logging 114 days last year before Picca “ditched me for kindergarten.”
So, might they come back to Stowe for a ski trip? Doubtful.
“Well …” Stefan said, “we pass over quite a few nice mountains.”
So, they hope their friends will go see them.
“I hope people come out and visit,” Mary said, wiping her eyes. “That’d be really nice, because I’m going to miss so many people.”
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexual language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be proactive. Use the "Report" link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.