City Orchard is packing up its cider operation and heading for Houston's East End, trading its current Sawyer Yards taproom for a bigger production facility inside Gulf Coast Distillers' complex. The move is set to bring a new taproom alongside the expanded brewery, with an opening date that also happens to double as a birthday party for the company.
The cider maker will relocate to the Gulf Coast Distillers complex at 5610 Clinton Drive, according to Houston CultureMap, which first reported the plans. The new East End facility is scheduled to open on January 15, 2027 — a date that will also mark City Orchard's seventh anniversary, per the same report.
Co-founder Patrick Kwiatkowski pointed to the company's statewide momentum as the reason for the upgrade. “Our growth across Texas means we need a larger production facility,” he said, according to CultureMap's reporting. The company will gain a larger room and increased production capacity at the new site, though specific square footage or capacity figures for the East End space were not disclosed.
What City Orchard Is Leaving Behind
City Orchard's current Sawyer Yards facility spans 8,000 square feet, with 82 seats, a 50-foot marble-top bar, and 24 taps pouring cider and beer, the cider maker's release notes. A 2024 profile from Chron had described the space as a sleek 3,000-square-foot taproom, suggesting the operation has already expanded in the years since. City Orchard will remain at its current Sawyer Yards location through the weekend of November 21 and 22 before the transition begins.
The company won't disappear from Sawyer Yards entirely, though. City Orchard plans to retain a presence in the area through a partnership with Tejas Brewery, located at 2101 Summer Street. “We're excited to partner with Tejas Brewery to bring our flagship taproom to Summer Street,” the company said in comments shared with the station. City Orchard's ciders will also be available on tap at Tejas, and customers will be able to taste different combinations of cider, beer, and spirits at both locations once the swap is complete.
A New Landlord With Local Roots
Gulf Coast Distillers president and CEO Carlos de Aldecoa welcomed the addition in comments to the outlet, saying, “We're proud to welcome City Orchard and bring more of Houston's craft beverage talent together.” Gulf Coast Distillers opened Tejas Brewery in 2024 at the Summer Street address, a site that was formerly home to Buffalo Bayou Brewing Company. That earlier chapter closed out with Tejas Beer's official grand-opening celebration, which, according to The Leader, ran all weekend from September 12 through 14 following a soft-opening period. That taproom already offers an array of beers on tap plus spirits, craft cocktails, and a full food menu, per the same report.
City Orchard remains an independently owned business, according to the release cited by CultureMap. Its ciders are made with fruit grown on family-owned farms in West New York's apple country, including its Mr. Green, a single-varietal cider made with Rhode Island Greening apples. Accounts of the company's founding differ: CultureMap's report credits Kwiatkowski and Mat Smith with starting City Orchard in 2020, while Houstonia has described the company as founded by three people — Smith, Kwiatkowski, and Clay Watson.
For now, Houston cider fans have a short window to catch City Orchard in its original Sawyer Yards form before the East End chapter begins. The company's expansion plans suggest a bet that demand for Texas-made cider has outgrown its first home — with Summer Street serving as the bridge between the old neighborhood and the new one.
