Ironbound Hard Cider's Property In Hunterdon County Preserved Through NJ Highlands Easement

Ironbound Hard Cider, the social enterprise that is committed to the revitalization of the Greater Newark-area economy by focusing on job-creation for the community's chronically underemployed while also restoring Newark's lost legacy of producing the best hard cider in America, has completed a preservation project with the New Jersey Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council (Highlands Council) to permanently protect a 93-acre portion of Ironbound Farm.

Ironbound is located entirely within the Preservation Area of the Highlands Region and considered among the most sensitive land in the region to protect from development. The Highlands Council acquired a conservation easement on the property for $788,000 through the Highlands Development Credit (HDC) purchase program, which will help to fund the company's extensive restoration efforts focused on regenerative agriculture, woodland revitalization, storm-water management, and soil erosion.

"We are proud that the Highlands Council has chosen the Ironbound farm for preservation," said Charles Rosen, company founder. "Ironbound is committed to a model of regenerative agriculture that not only produces better crops, but also improves the entire farm ecosystem. We believe that healing the land in this manner while supporting a local food-based economy, reaffirms the true spirit of the Highlands Act and all the opportunities it offers."

"What's particularly special about this acquisition is that the property owner understands and supports the connection between the health of the land and the health of the community and local economy," Carl Richko, Highlands Council Chairman wrote in a statement. "This is a great example of farmland preservation in the Highlands."

New Jersey has a long history of cider making, especially in Newark where cider was one of the city's earliest industries. Celebrated throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, Newark Cider was considered by many, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, to be among the finest ciders in early America.

Rosen produces cider using regenerative agriculture practices to manage his orchard of heirloom varieties of American cider apples. This approach, while much more costly than common contemporary farming methods, builds internal strength and stability by increasing the biodiversity on the farm and nurturing the biological life in the soil.

Rosen further believes that the resiliency that comes from this kind of holistic rebalancing is also needed on the human repair front, and to that end he has developed an on-the-job, soft-skills training program that focuses on areas such as identity value, communication skills and conflict resolution that is fully integrated into Ironbound's daily business activity. This program, and a commitment to a living wage, ensures that his farm employees, who include the formerly incarcerated, veterans, and immigrants, are all gaining the personal skills and economic tools needed to participate in-and benefit-from New Jersey's growing economy.

This work is proving successful, as Ironbound was recently featured in a full-page feature in The New York Times (https://nyti.ms/2AbcI8m) as well as a TEDx talk by Rosen (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDWMESwAFEM). Currently, Ironbound produces Ironbound Hard Cider, Devil's Harvest, Woods Folly, and Gooseberry Ginger, and with the recent discovery of two colonial-era apple trees, Ironbound is currently working on a true heritage cider recipe. Ironbound is available in over 700 bars, restaurants, and retailers throughout New Jersey.

Adds Rosen, "We set out to create Ironbound as a business rooted in place, a company focused on repair and renewal - both for the people involved and the environment we all share. We are excited that this land will be forever preserved through this Highlands project."

For more information: http://www.ironboundhardcider.com