Banditry Cider

Banditry Cider began with Kim and Jamie Armstrong’s decision to build a different kind of life for their family on BC’s Sunshine Coast. With Jamie’s background in agricultural development and Kim’s in small business, they saw an opportunity to create something rooted in the land and centred around community, gathering and a little bit of magic.

They found a property in Gibsons and began building the kind of place they wanted to spend time themselves. Today, Banditry is a land-based cidery producing small-batch cider on site, surrounded by orchard and gardens, with a four-acre tasting area that winds around a pond, little bridges, handmade covered structures and an outdoor stage.

Food is made and served on site, and the property is particularly well suited to groups who want to gather without a lot of formality. Friends and families can pull together a few picnic tables, kids have room to explore, dogs can come along, and larger groups can settle in for an afternoon of food and cider without the structure of a traditional restaurant or event venue. Birthdays, reunions, celebrations and casual get-togethers all seem to find a natural home here.

Throughout the season, Banditry also becomes a gathering place for the wider community. Open mic nights bring local musicians and neighbours together, bands play on the outdoor stage, and giant community pig roasts can fill the farm with people. On those nights, it can feel as though the whole town has shown up and is creating the experience together — which is exactly what Kim and Jamie hoped Banditry could become.

Some of Banditry’s most-loved traditions are also its simplest. Ducks wander the property, and buying a bag of duck food and heading down to the pond has become a ritual for kids and adults alike. People spread out across the property, friends gather over food and cider, and afternoons have a tendency to turn into evenings.

Banditry was never intended to feel like a conventional tasting room. Kim and Jamie wanted to create a place that felt welcoming, slightly unexpected and genuinely special — somewhere that could become part of the fabric of the community.

At its best, Banditry is a place where the farm, cider, food, music and people all come together. There are moments when the entire property feels alive and the line between the business and the community almost disappears. It’s a place to gather without much fuss, slow down, connect with the people around you and, for a little while, feel transported to a simpler time.