Our origin Story
Agle’s Farmhouse Soda is uniquely delicious because its revolutionary brewing process captures the fleeting essence of ripe Concord grapes, sour cherries, plums, and Jupiter grapes.
Agle’s Farmhouse Soda happened because Matt Agle – a fifth-generation farmer raised in a culture of farmer-engineer-tinkerers – had an idea that might help diversify the family farm and support other local farms. And he couldn’t stop trying to get it right. Six years of tinkering helped him perfect soda made purely from local fruit, nothing but 100 percent juice from local family farms. Invented in Eden, NY, Agle’s Farmhouse Soda is unlike any fruit soda you’ve tasted.
That’s because it was only made for Agle’s family and friends, until now.
Agle knew he had something special in 2018. His first bottles of Concord grape soda, juice fermented like beer but non-alcoholic, were undergoing pasteurization in a pot on the kitchen stove.
He heard a hiss, then Concord grape redecorated the kitchen ceiling. After cleaning up, when Agle took a break on the front porch and tasted what was left in the bottles, he knew it was worth pursuing.
Since then, Agle has worked on his soda, adjusting recipes and processes to capture the flavor while containing its bubbly essence. No matter how many bottles exploded, he was going to nail the pop.
Reaching out to fruit farmers he knew, Agle decided to set up a business and introduce the world to better fruit soda. He worked through refining the process and seeking regulatory definitions and approvals. He worked through lists of fruit candidates to find the flavors that hit hardest.
What drove him was a desire to contribute to the family farm. His siblings and cousin had already dedicated decades to keeping the family enterprise running, maintaining their financial independence in an increasingly complicated world.
As he workshopped the soda’s flavors, he calculated their potential. Farms only earn money a few months a year. What if Agle’s sold a product that could last a year on a shelf? What if that product could capture the flush of harvest and extend it throughout the calendar? It would be an awesome way to buffer the risks of the seasonality and price fluctuations of the commodities that we produce, he thought.
Watermelon was a washout, but his plum soda soared. Concord and Jupiter grapes turned into drinks that made people ask for more. Sour cherry surprised everyone who was expecting the usual cough syrup lite.
With consumers thirsty for better alcohol-free choices in restaurants and bars, Agle hopes Agle’s Farmhouse Soda can also help local family farms thrive.
