Tom Heeman

Tom Heeman, the founder of Heeman’s Cellar, is a man who believes every quality cider begins with a quality apple. While he grew up as a third-generation berry grower in London, Ontario, Tom eventually added the cellar to the strawberry patch and apiary, launching a mission to bottle the true character of Ontario’s apple country. Tom’s philosophy is simple: the apple is the boss. He views the Orchard as the most critical of cellars’ “Three Pillars,” believing that the best cider isn’t made in the tank—it’s made on the branch, shaped by the sun, the soil, and the season. But Tom isn’t just looking forward; he’s obsessed with looking back. He spends his “spare” time digging through the dusty archives of the Ontario Fruit Growers, determined to rediscover the lost golden age of local fruit. This historical detective work birthed Heeman’s Heritage Offerings, a collection dedicated to resurrecting the ghosts of the orchard. Whether he’s tracking down century-old trees or pressing forgotten varieties like the Sweet Crab Apple, Snow, and Swayzie Pomme Gris, Tom is proving that the best way to innovate is to bring history back to life in the glass.