As we meet people and tell them about our business, we always get asked why we chose Ash & Elm Cider as our name. It’s a great question, with a bit of a long answer.
Originally, we formed the LLC for the company with a different name. We registered a website, got our email addresses set up, and had our graphic designer start working on our logo and branding guide. Everything was running smoothly.
One morning, I got a text from a friend. It was a picture of a sign of a new brewery opening near her neighborhood that had the exact. same. name. We thought our name was pretty unique, so we were extremely surprised and disappointed. After going back and forth with our lawyers, we came to the sad conclusion that we’d have to change our name and come up with a new one.
For a few weeks, we were hung up on the idea that our new name had to be similar enough to the old one that we’d at least be able to keep our logo and branding, because it was awesome and we’d grown very fond of it. We shot ideas back and forth around the same theme, sent contenders to the lawyers who were helping us verify the ability of the names, and got shot down over and over again. Womp womp – it was going to be time to say goodbye to our beautiful logo and branding.
We rallied, though, and started thinking about names that weren't related to our first one. We listed things that are important to us and our family, and immediately knew that something relating to trees, nature, and the outdoors would be our answer. Aaron’s dad is a botanist in Indiana and could identify nearly any plant or tree that he stumbles across within the whole state. My parents live near to a state park where they spend hours every week, hiking and bird watching. Because of this, both of us are pretty passionate about the outdoors. Ash and elm trees are both species native to Indiana, but because of recent pests, they’re endangered. We love the idea of having a business that isn’t necessarily centered around conservation efforts, but uses its platform to support the businesses and nonprofits that are engaged in that work.
It works in another way, too: cider is a natural product that wouldn’t be possible to make if the earth isn’t cared for– apples grow on trees, in orchards, and they grow well in Indiana and Michigan. We’d love to see them continue to grow, and for more apple trees to be planted.
The link between these ideas and our name makes a lot of sense to us, and we’re excited to see how our love for the outdoors can translate into our business. Cheers!
