South Carolina Hard Apple Cider
Fat Ass Heifer Ciders are pressed and fermented with SC grown apples on our 51 acre ranch in Campobello, SC.
Our Story
Fat Ass Heifer Cidery is a local, family-owned hard cider production company and tasting room located in Campobello, SC. Our mission is to become South Carolina’s premier source for creative hard ciders and eclectic non-grape wines, locally produced, while providing a glimpse into cider and winemaking traditions from around the world. We integrate the character of our ranch into our guest experience, to make ourselves a cidery unlike any other.
We are currently open Saturdays 1PM to 7PM. There are plans to add an additional dedicated on-premises tasting room and gift shop, where we will offer our ciders alongside farm-fresh meats and gift items.
About the Name
Our herd is a lively mix of miniature Hereford, Lowline, and Angus cows—each with their own personality, but one heifer in particular inspired a name and a whole lot of laughs.
A heifer, for those less familiar with cattle lingo, is a young female cow. One of ours is as cute as a button with an excellent Body Condition Score (a big compliment in the cattle world). She’s also a bit of a troublemaker—an escape artist who somehow finds her way through the fence but never strays far from her mama. When she sees us coming, she’ll duck right back through the wires as if to say, “What fence?”
One morning, while we were moving the herd from one pasture to another, she gave us a real runaround—refusing to come through the gate and darting away at every chance. When she finally waddled her way through, John chuckled and said, “You Lil’ Fat Ass Heifer!”—a phrase his grandmother might have used decades ago. And just like that, the name stuck.
In the cattle world, that’s actually a compliment. Her build, spirit, and sass are part of what’s made her a keeper—despite the headaches. Over time, we’ve grown to admire her bold personality and undeniable charm.
She’s no longer a heifer now—in May 2017, she became a mama cow. But her legacy lives on in our name and in every pour of cider we serve at Fat Ass Heifer Cidery.