The Women’s Business Center at Cornerstone Alliance is celebrating the official ribbon cutting of Carriage House Ciders on Thursday, June 12, 2025 at 4:00 p.m. at 920 N Shore Dr, Benton Harbor, as the small-batch cidery enters its first full season with a newly completed tasting patio. Owned and operated by longtime residents Paula Camp and Mary Connors, Carriage House Ciders is a testament to passion, patience, and preservation.
Nestled beside a beautifully restored 19th-century carriage house at 920 North Shore Drive, the cidery is rooted in history. Built in 1886, the original structure once housed horses and carriages on the first floor, with a small family apartment above. When Camp and Connors purchased the property in the early 1980s, the carriage house was in disrepair. Over the next several decades, they removed over 4.5 tons of debris, restored the foundation, replaced rotting floors, and rebuilt the roof—ultimately transforming the forgotten space into a fully licensed cider production facility.
Cider production began in 2021, but it wasn’t until late last year that a tasting patio and bar were added, allowing the couple to host guests on-site. Now, the community is invited to enjoy the cidery’s first full summer season under the shade of mature trees with bistro-style seating, snacks, a firepit for s’mores, and a shelter for rainy days. The menu features dry, European-style ciders, with tastings, glasses, and bottles available each weekend.
“Our hope is to be a gathering place for the community where people can forget their problems and the chaos in the world around them, and share a cider and conversation with old friends—and make new ones,” said Owner, Paula Camp. “Everyone is invited to chill, have a local natural cider, and enjoy themselves.”
The ribbon cutting, hosted in partnership with the Women’s Business Center, will take place at 4:00 p.m. on June 12, with festivities continuing into the evening. “Celebrating the expansion of Carriage House Ciders is an honor as we know this was a dream for them from the start and will offer more to our community to enjoy,” said Brandy Jaquez, Managing Director of Women’s Business Center.
“The cider patio is a game changer for us,” Camp added. “We’ve been connecting with customers at the farmers markets in St. Joe and Kalamazoo, but now we have the perfect place to continue the conversation and get to know each other better. We’ll be sampling different ciders every weekend and serving favorites like raclette, smoked trout, and various snacks.”
Carriage House Ciders can be found online at www.carriagehouse.love, on Instagram @carriagehouseciders, and on Facebook at facebook.com/carriagehouseciders.
The Women’s Business Center invites the public to join in celebrating Carriage House Ciders’ new tasting room and learn more about its offerings.
