Now in his eighth year with the business, Willie Smith’s Cidermaker, Nathan Taylor, spoke to Beer & Brewer about the daily diversity of his role, creating products he can call his own, and his passion for problem solving.
With a background in commercial baking and three years as a labourer and cellar hand at Willie Smith’s, Taylor first entered the role of cidermaker in July 2021.
“Obviously through my trade qualification in baking, I had a pretty good interest in yeast fermentation and all the things that go bubble bubble. It was then just that slow progression as I moved my way up through the company, into that cellar hand position, handling the tanks, and a lot more. I just kept climbing to cidermaker,” he said.
As he has moved into different roles during his time at Willie Smith’s, Taylor has taken on new challenges and responsibilities.
“One highlight is my first limited release 750ml bottle that I really got to own, which was originally Senescence and has now become Farmhouse. It was a lot of research into Old World French and English cidermaking techniques,” he said.
“Seeing it actually work, seeing something come out the other end that tasted really good despite all the stress that happened, and to call it my own, was definitely the most enjoyable experience I’ve had.”
Strengths and successes
In his current role, Taylor appreciates the diversity of tasks he has to take on, as well as the way production changes with different seasons.
“There’s a lot of variety in what happens on a day-to-day basis, a week-to-week basis, a month-to-month basis. Through the year, there’s peaks and troughs in how busy we are. Vintage isn’t as extreme in the cider world as it is in the wine world, but we’re still pretty busy bringing in those heritage cider apples, pressing, and seeing the fun juice that comes out of that. What’s interesting, across the industry as a whole, is seeing people’s experimentation, seeing people push the limits and try and figure out what works, what doesn’t work, for all the different people that enjoy drinking these products across Australia,” he said.
With the variety of tasks Taylor needs to complete in cidermaking, he prides himself on his ability to problem solve and respond to whatever is required of him in the moment.
“I have the ability to knuckle down if something needs to get done. I make sure it gets sorted, come hell or high water, or come up with solutions to whatever happens.
“If we can’t get it right in the cidery, how do we make sure that we’re not impacting on other areas of the business? If we’re running low on stock, how do we adjust and work with the sales team, so we’re keeping the big guys on our side and keeping them happy so we can continue that profitable relationship?” he said.
These efforts are vindicated by the positive perception of Willie Smith’s products, especially within the Tasmanian market.
“As a business, we’re good at understanding the market, and capitalising on the easy goals that we can hit, like the Tassie market. Everyone knows Willie Smith’s, everyone knows that you’re guaranteed a good, high-quality product. It’s a safe bet if you see it behind the bar. That level of quality makes it worthwhile,” Taylor said.
Taylor remains committed to his role at Willie Smith’s, counting his key goals as expanding the business and working on unique and innovative releases.
“I’ve been here for seven years after a fair bit of jumping around. When I started, it was always the goal to be here for at least ten years and try and bring that stability to my wife and daughter. I had to stop chasing my dreams all the time, but in doing that I’ve found my dream job where every day is different, every day is challenging, but all the challenges can be overcome,” he said.
“In the coming years, I’d like to own a bit more of the process, try for a few more awards under the belt, and push the limits on what we can actually do, to come up with interesting and exciting products to show the market.”