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Z\)t Canadian Statesman k . / i i :J /-rr // :"•) >■? •-- :'„y it! ' / 7 L ■ :'y ; . " ;y > -• ■; J Section Two Wednesday, October 3,1984 Æô (if i- <jr<? >ù ,■ v i ! i J. 1 / / ;f) ;7 . .7, : / , ; Bob Shafer, owner of Tyrone Mills Ltd., is quite proud of his new addition to the old building which he picked up only a few weeks ago. The Buckwheat Refiner which he keeps on the third floor of the Mill was made in 1879 and is still in good working condition. Hundreds of people were present at the Tyrone Mills Ltd. Open House last Saturday commemorating the first day of apple cider season. One of the main attractions that day was owner Bob Shafer's demonstration of the apple presser which was in operation for the first time this year. Modern technology seems to be taking a back seat to the antique when it comes to capturing people's interest interest nowadays. In fact anything dated over forty years ago is almost guaranteed guaranteed to attract a curious crowd. This was certainly the case last Saturday 'afternoon 'afternoon when hundreds of people flocked to the old Tyrone Mill in order to catch a glimpse of an antique antique apple-presser and to witness the age-old process of turning apples into delicious delicious cider. The Tyrone Mills Open House held last Satur- in 1846 still operates by water power and still day included not only a demonstration of the makes use of machines such as this century-old apple pressing machine used to make apple cider planer, but also a tour of the old Mill. The building, built Fresh apple cider will be available now through May at the Tyrone Mills Limited. And although only entering his fourth year in the cider business, owner Bob Shafer is already gaining popularity for the new twist lie's given to an old-fashioned drink. Saturday marked the first day of the eight-month cider season at the Mill. Those who attended were given a demonstration of the liquifying procëss, a tour of the three-story building and complimentary cider. Every year the Tyrone Mill welcomes more and more cider lovers through the Mill doors, some for the first time, others for the hundredth. "Our cider seems to be making a name for itself," said owner Bob Shafer. "This year we were getting requests before we even began pressing." Perhaps one of the reasons why people enjoy Shafer's brand of cider so much is because there are no preservatives added to it. And in light of Canada's trend toward nutrition, that's pretty important. "Our product is 100 per cent \natural , goodness," explained Mr, Shafer. Unlike Unlike the grocery stores who are compelled to put additives additives in their cider to prevent prevent fermentation, the Tyrone Mill Ltd. suggests that you consume the product product within a couple of weeks. Of course, if the buyer wanted to store the cider, it could safely be frozen for over a year, but there's really really no need for storing the cider when the Tyrone Mill makes a new batch every second or third day. The old-fashioned drink, made from fresh apples supplied by local growers, is made daily from mid-September mid-September through April. And although visitors are always welcome, Saturday is the most popular time to watch the pressing due to the varied weekday schedule. Mr. Shafer explained that even though the manufacturing manufacturing of the cider requires only the work of one man, he prefers to have someone' help him, mainly because more work gets done more quickly with two. The actual process of extracting extracting the juice is really quite simple. First, the fruit is brought from the apple bin and into the press room. From there they are washed thoroughly and sent up a conveyor. When the apples leave the conveyor belt they are ground to a pulp, referred to as pomace. Seven layers of pomace in nylon cloths separated by oak racks are called a cheese. This cheese is pressed under 15 tons of pressure. After the juice hàs been collected it is then screened and pumped into one of two vats prior to being filled into jugs for sale. Custom pressing is also becoming a steady business at the Mill, This side of the industry takes in apples from both large and small scale growers who wish to turn their own bushels into cider for a mere 75 cents per gallon. Shafer's regular batch costs $3.50 for a four litre jug. The Mill's particular cider press, which was built in 1950, produces approximately approximately 70 gallons of juice per hour; up to three hundred gallons a day -- quite an operation for such an old Mill. ' When Bob Shafer purchased purchased the mill from John Thornbeck in 1979 it was merely a sawmill. Although it has also been both a flour and feed mill since it's erection erection in 1846, (the sawmill being added later) the production production of these goods were discontinued due to the depleting depleting demand. After working the water- powered mill with it's antique antique equipment for a few years, the entrepreneur felt it was time to expand his business to include more than just lumber work. In 1981 he purchased a machine to make apple cider and since that time it has been a popular Fall and Winter activity. "I was looking for something something additional to do in the mill," explained Mr. Shafer, "I saw a cider plant in the United States and decided that making apple cider would fit in well with the business I already have." It's interesting to note that the press Shafer now runs was once an exhibit at the New York State Fair in Syracuse where he grew up, and even now he can still remember having cider from this machine as a youth. Throughout the course of the season the taste of the cider will greatly be altered with the addition and elimination elimination of certain apples from the juice. For example, the early season cider consists predominantly predominantly of Macintosh apples. Later on, other varieties varieties such as Spy and Delicious Delicious will be added. "You get a nicer cider when you have some variety in there," explained the owner. Even though Mr. Shafer is tempted to begin marketing his product on a larger scale in light of local response, response, he doesn't want to be faced with the problems that go along with operating a large industry such as managing sales representatives, representatives, and expanding expanding his facilities. "I was exploring the idea of moving moving my cider into stores," Mr. Shafer said, "but for now I'll just concentrate on familiarizing the Durham Region with my new old- fashioned drink." Everyone received a free sample of apple cider last Saturday afternoon during the Open House at the Tyrone Mills. Visitors received a tour of the three-story building and a unique demonstration of how apple cider is made. Owner, Bob Shafer is pictured here pouring the first juice of the season. Although mid-September through April is cider season at the Tyrone Mills, the lumber portion of the business is never disregarded. Lumber is cut year-round at the Mill on a custom basis for clients as well as for sale to the general public. The saw, located at the rear of the Mill against the dam, is being demonstrated here by owner Bob Shafer. Story and Photos by Catherine Denny JiaeiMcu.emiï E) rp\ o ,-f^\ c) -r as iiPeeîirsu A Bowmanville resident who owns an Oshawa auto trim shop was selected to manufacture the cushions which were used in the royal limousines during the visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Canada. Larry Bowen is shown above with some of the six cushions manufactured by his company, Larry's Auto Trim Ltd. For auto trim export Larry Bowen, the task of manufacturing six velvet automobile cushions wasn't just another job. The cushions were for the royal limousines to be used by Queen Elizabeth II during during her trip to Canada. "It's quite an honor," said Larry Bowen, owner of Larry's Auto Trim Ltd., on Russell Avo„ in Oshawa. lie's the man responsible for seeing that the cushions were manufactured to the rigid specifications requested, requested, Except for two cushions which are made of white leather, each consists of navy blue crushed velvet, Larry recalls that they were made with fine attention attention to details. Even the number of buttons in each cushion was specified and carefully cheeked, And each one took nine to ten hours of labor, Larry explains that his firm was chosen to make the seat cushions because it has a contract with General Motors to repair auto trim. That contract resulted in his shop being selected to help equip the fleet of vehicles vehicles supplied by GM and used during the royal tour, With 24 years in the upholstery upholstery and auto trim business, business, it would be difficult to find anyone more qualified qualified for the assignment. Larry Bowen, and his wife, Marlene, have lived in Bowmanville for the past 18 years and they currently reside reside on Brown St. When Queen Elizabeth leaves Canada this month, Larry's contribution to tin; Royal tour still won't be over. His next job will be to remove special modifications modifications such as bulletproof glass installed in each of the cars.