During a trip to Ireland in his senior year of college, Matt Vendeville discovered European cider. He was hooked.

Today, Vendeville and his wife, Kim, own and operate Cider Belly Hard Cider at 8005 Germantown Ave., serving European-style dry ciders and small bites. This July, the Vendevilles celebrated their third anniversary in Chestnut Hill.

To mark three years, Cider Belly welcomed customers to celebrate on July 11 and released two new ciders: a seasonal blueberry flavor and a small-batch “discovery series” peach-and-plum cider, which has since sold out.

Despite its recent success, Cider Belly has humble origins. The Vendevilles, who met at the University of Pittsburgh, had no background in cider making, culinary arts or hospitality. They shared a dream of owning a business, and Matt Vendeville’s passion for cider led them to pursue one.

“We kept trying ciders around the area, and then I wanted to try it on my own,” he said. “I did a very small batch and fell in love with it as a hobby. From there, we’ve always wanted to start a business together ... Cider Belly was born from our discussions on being entrepreneurs and starting a business. We thought our cider was good enough to sell.”

On Cider Belly’s opening day in 2023, the couple received a warm welcome from Chestnut Hill residents. “We had a line going down the road, and it didn’t stop all night or all weekend. That was something that will stick in my brain forever,” Vendeville said.

Cider Belly’s popularity is not just local. In 2024, it was named a top five cidery in the country by USA Today, and in 2025, it won Philadelphia Magazine’s Best Cidery of Philly.

Reflecting on three years, Vendeville highlighted the Chestnut Hill community as fundamental to Cider Belly’s success. This local focus shapes the commitment to supporting local businesses and farmers while using locally grown produce.

Ciders are made in an 800-square-foot production space at the back of the cidery, using apple juice from Beekman Orchards in Boyertown. “It’s pretty small, but we make it work,” Vendeville said.

The process, Vendeville said, is similar to winemaking. One method, which he calls “spontaneous wild fermentation,” relies on natural yeasts from the orchard or cidery. Another uses commercial yeast from Normandy, France.

“Primary fermentation takes about seven to 10 days,” Vendeville said. “And then we go into secondary fermentation ... and we’re just aging it then. Depending on the cider, it could take one to two months, up to a year.”

Once fermented, the ciders are served on draft in the tap room or packaged in cans and bottles.

Vendeville’s favorite cider is the Wissahickon blend: just apples and yeast, and his favorite seasonal cider is the Autumn Harvest, which includes apple pie spices added to the Wissahickon. Autumn Harvest will be released in September.

The Vendevilles serve small plates for snacking, such as potato chips and sweet onion pretzels. They have hosted pop-up events with local chefs and plan more.

Chestnut Hill “has really great restaurants, but people also want some different things, like maybe Peruvian vegan food,” he said. “We’re talking to a chef about doing a ceviche menu, or a crudo menu, and having different options here.”

The Vendevilles also balance Cider Belly with full-time jobs.

“A lot of things that we do are challenges, to be honest,” he said. “But we don’t view them as something that’s going to stop us. We just try to figure out a solution. And it’s worked out for us thus far.”

Now, the Vendevilles are looking ahead.

“Our hopes would be to continue to bring people into the tap room,” he said, “to educate them about cider, and increase creativity as much as we can with our space.”