October 28, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Allentown Meadery Continues to
Rack Up Accolades
The Colony Meadery Wins Three Medals at Prestigious Michigan Mead Cup
Allentown, Pennsylvania – Over the weekend, The Colony Meadery took home three of the nine medals awarded in one of mead’s more competitive contests, the Michigan Mead Cup.
The Allentown meadery took home medals for:
2nd Place in Traditional Meads for their Straight, No Chaser (made with orange blossom honey)
2nd Place in Open Category Meads for Mo-Me-Doh (mead made with Mint and Lime)
3rd Place in Open Category Meads for A Good Sarsaparilla (mead made with a traditional sarsaparilla recipe)
The Michigan Mead Cup is considered one of the most contested mead competitions, thanks to the many high-quality meaderies in Michigan, including the United States’ largest, B.Nektar. Combined with their haul in August’s New Hampshire-based Mead Free or Die competition, this brings the Colony Meadery’s total to nine medals in national mead competitions in their first year of operations, including at least one for each of their flagship meads.
Setting up their operations last October at the Bridgeworks Enterprise Center, the business incubation program of Allentown Economic Development Corporation (AEDC), The Colony Meadery has established itself as a major player in the national mead industry, which grew 130% last year. Last week, they were also the subject of a feature in The Atlantic.
Mead is one of the oldest beverages in human history, dating back to both the ancient Egyptian and Viking societies. At its base, mead is made from fermented honey. Today, producers like The Colony Meadery often begin with basic mead and then add additional flavorings like fruit, coffee, hops, and spices. The result is a wide range of tasty beverages that find appeal across many palates.
Since its launch, The Colony Meadery has steadily expanded its presence within eastern Pennsylvania at restaurants like Fegley’s Brew Works, Strange Brew Tavern and Hulmeville Inn. They also distribute mead to New Jersey with Hunterdon Brewing.
“We knew this would be a challenging competition, so we’re very honored to see this strong a performance from our main products,” said Greg Heller-LaBelle, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Colony Meadery.
“I’m really pleased to see that our flagship meads are performing so well in competitions. Our flagship meads are all reasonably priced, and I am pleasantly surprised to see them doing so well in competitions,” said Mike Manning, Co-founder and Mead Maker of The Colony Meadery.
“The growth we are seeing with Colony Meadery, along with the accolades they are receiving for their meads is exciting,” said Anthony Durante, Program Manager for AEDC. “One of the challenges for the company is that they need to educate the consumer on what mead is. Wineries and breweries don’t have that hurdle. Greg and Mike are knocking it out of the park in regards to educating their customer base and growing their company.”
About The Colony Meadery
The Colony Meadery's mission is to produce the boldest and most innovative meads in the world. We use experimental batches, modern methodology, and precise control of fermentation to create meads that are distinct and varied. We believe in uncompromising quality, flavor and craftsmanship. We are members of both the Brewers Association and the American Mead Makers Association.
For more information, please visit their website: http://thecolonymeadery.com/
About the Allentown Economic Development Corporation
AEDC is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to a mission of identifying, encouraging, developing and managing strategic business opportunities for the benefit of Allentown, its citizens, and the Lehigh Valley. Its goal is to improve vacant and underutilized properties by assisting manufacturers, business owners and entrepreneurs in obtaining the resources and opportunities they require for success in the City of Allentown. AEDC offers access to financing and incentives, assistance with brownfield remediation, and support for growing businesses within the City.
For more information, please visit their website: http://allentownedc.com/
######
