By A.J. Kaufman, Managing Editor
Squabble State Hard Cider & Spirits recently transformed the farming landscape just northwest of Bristol. The picturesque agritourism destination — perched at 2,200 feet with south-facing views of three states and multiple mountain ranges — features an apple orchard, hard cidery and various event spaces.
In a high-density area, co-owners Will Clear, Will Payne and staff planted nearly 2,000 apple trees in March 2023, and those five main heirloom varieties will be ready to pick in a few years. The rural terrain has no limits on physical space, although it sits only two miles from the new Hard Rock Casino and three miles from State Street.
Clear, a Chilhowie native, learned from his grandfather, who worked in the orchard industry.
“I got to spend a lot of time (as a kid) hanging out at the Bonham apple operation, and my grandfather knew everything there was to know about apples,” Clear told the Business Journal during a January tour. “I’ve always wanted to get into growing apples and saw the opportunity when I saw this property, this hillside, I thought you could really grow some apples here. Also, I’ve always been enamored with distillery options. The cidery is just the first step in developing the 68 acres we’ve got here.”
The property with seven total employees officially opened in October and already has welcomed visitors from numerous states and countries.
“We’ve got some cleaning up to do, but long term, we see trails all the way through here. We just want to develop a place where people can come, hang out, get in the woods for a couple hours, drink a little cider and then go back to town,” Clear explained.
Virginia natives Clear and Payne have a temporary distillery set up, plans to add nature trails in the next month or two, with short-stay cabins and a wedding venue expected early in 2026. Their website states a goal to “bring friends together through craft beverages infused with an uncompromising spirit as enduring as America.”
They wanted the rugged property to align with our regional history. The name origin has roots in the American Revolution in Appalachia. In 1779, two survey parties set out to establish the western frontier line between Virginia and what’s now Tennessee. A disagreement over the border ensued, creating a lawless region for a quarter century, known as the Squabble State.
Although close to the city, Squabble sits on newly created roads, so the owners felt strong signage and a well-lit final incline were a necessity. Feedback from parents has noted it’s a safe place for kids, families, dogs and more, with a variety of ways for people to create relaxing experiences and a place to gather. Generally, they anticipate visitor numbers to be higher in the spring, summer and autumn.
“The same reason that we designed the property as an experience is the same reason people keep coming back,” Payne explained to the Business Journal. “It’s a place to explore the outdoors, a place to relax, and then a place to connect. We walk out here and look around at the firepits, taproom and the patio; you don’t see a lot of phones out. You see people talking.”
When not tending to their new business endeavor, Payne is Managing Partner with Coalfield Strategies, an economic development shop driving new business investment to Southwest Virginia. He’s converted his 25 years in politics and building relationships into business development today, resulting in hundreds of new jobs for the region with technology, energy and manufacturing companies.
A former interim director for the Virginia Department of Energy, Clear is now Managing Partner for Virginia Energy Strategies. He has almost three decades of energy industry experience, from the finance side to business development.
“It’s a great match here because we do have complementary backgrounds,” Payne said. “We are kindred spirits because we have that same view about being entrepreneurs and putting it all on the line personally. And we’ll succeed because we’ll bet on ourselves any day.”
The men met in 2018 and have worked on agriculture through economic development across the Appalachian Highlands. Their Squabble State efforts began two years later.
“We’ve had a hand in building literally every piece of this ourselves. That’s how it has to be, as an entrepreneur, where there are so many components with this business,” Payne added. “We’ve worked for a lot of people in our careers, and with projects, we worked with investors. This is a project that we said on day one, we’re gonna build this ourselves. We’ve got the vision. This is our opportunity to create something…and what I think will drive the growth long-term, because it certainly drives us today, is that we’re charting that path.”
Squabble used and praised Tri-Cities area businesses in the building process, including Selco Construction Services of Bristol, Va., White Construction Company of Johnson City and First Bank & Trust Company. The co-owners also noted the “incredible support” received from the City of Bristol and Washington County, Va.
Clear believes his property should enhance the area’s tourism and business development.
“There is so much outdoor activity here. We think this could be a craft beverage center for the region and draw in crowds interested in hanging out for a weekend and hitting four or five different craft beverage locations,” he said. “And with everything around the casino and tourism being a big draw here, it’s a natural fit for Bristol and the surrounding area. We are excited to be what I hope is the front end of that, with additional operations that open.”
The co-owners say the next step is getting into retail, with cans in stores and kegs or cans in restaurants during February.
“This can be as big and successful as we want it to be,” Clear concluded. “We can continue to push the limits as big as we can possibly dream. We’ve got the property.”
