It was a cool Thursday morning and Greg Giuliani had boxes of apples laid out, ready for pressing.

The variety of apples were all different. In some boxes, Giuliani had picked apples for cider and in others, apples had been picked for hard cider.

Growing up on a farm in Fall City, Giuliani said he had access to varieties of apples that were not available in store.

“I wanted access to those varieties,”he said.

In 1997, Giuliani joined the Seattle Tree Fruit Society — a nonprofit educational organization for home orchardists and fruit culture hobbyists — where he learned how to graft trees. By 2000, Giuliani said he had established his own orchard.

“I was able to recreate some of the apples I grew up with,” he said. “You can’t buy them anywhere else.”

Before he knew it, Giuliani said his orchard was producing more apples than he could eat. The solution was to make fresh cider and eventually hard cider.

Giuliani uses a custom-designed Corell cider press to press his apples. According to Giuliani, the press machine is known for its wood construction. Ready to press, Giuliani flipped a switch on and began placing the apples inside a grinder.

“It’s good to get a variety of apples in there,” he said as he maneuvered the press.

The apples spun around in the grinder and pulped the apples into a basket. Once full, Giuliani took the basket and started the press.

Giuliani usually presses three times a year. Depending on the pollination of the trees, Giuliani said he will press around mid-August, September and October. In October, Giuliani can be found demonstrating the pressing process at Carnation Farms’ Harvest Fest.

Aside from apples, Giuliani also grows pears and plums. His fruit is grown using organic methods and he hopes to sell his unique apples to the public at some point.

“[This] is kind of a lifestyle now. I’d say it’s a hobby,” Giuliani said. “It’s an important part of who I am… It’s part of my purpose.”

Greg Giuliani picks apples from his orchard to make cider. Giuliani’s apples are all special variations of apples. Giuliani grafted his trees to produce unique apple variations.

Greg Giuliani picks apples from his orchard to make cider. Giuliani’s apples are all special variations of apples. Giuliani grafted his trees to produce unique apple variations.

Greg Giuliani uses a custom-designed cider press to make his cider. Giuliani will demonstrate the process at Carnation Farms’ Harvest Fest in October.