Big Fish Cider is more than just our delicious ciders…it’s also an amazing team of individuals who work hard to make sure that our ciders are the very best they can be. Find out a little bit more about our team and what makes us tick.
Our Team
Josha C. – Cider maker, Chief Cider Evangelist
What started for Joshua Corl as a home brewing and cidermaking hobby led to an internship and then employment as a Cidermaker at Back Bay’s Farmhouse Brewery in Virginia Beach, Virginia. In fall of 2025, he became the owner of Big Fish Cider.
Joshua became a Certified Pommelier™ because he loves making and drinking cider, and he aims to bring his expertise into developing new techniques for making classic and modern ciders in Virginia.
Sara C.S. – Orchardist (Pruning Queen) and Production Supervisor
Sarah Collins-Simmons grew up in the mountains of Nelson County, Virginia, so she felt right at home when she moved to Highland County in 2011 to participate as one of the founding Fellows at the Allegheny Mountain School. Growing up, Sarah first learned to care for plants from her parents in their garden and yard. After going to the University of Virginia to study architecture and environmental science, she found landscape architecture and went on to get a Master’s Degree in that field from the University of Georgia. At Big Fish Cider, Co. Sarah is the orchard manager and the lab technician; she gets to put her education and background to use. Additionally, she helps with cider production and in the tasting room.
Sarah is married to Joshua Simmons, a Highland native, the County Building Official, and a general contractor. Together, they enjoy renovating houses, and spending time outside, hiking and camping with their two dogs.
Our Founder
Kirk B.
Kirk was born and raised in the community of Highland County, Virginia. His parents owned a house just outside the town limits of Monterey surrounded by 10 majestic old apple trees. Trees with names like Smokehouse, Winesap, Grimes Golden, among others. Kirk took these apples and the cider that was made from these apples for granted until picking up a couple of gallons of fresh sweet cider on the way back home from college one October. The bland juice, which was unlike any fresh-squeezed juice he grew up with, inspired Kirk to find out what the difference was, and started what became a lifelong passion for apples, including grafting trees, exploring for wild trees, making sweet cider, and finally fermentation of hard cider.
Kirk has taught many classes on grafting, pruning, cidermaking, and is himself a lifelong student of the apple. Big Fish Cider Company was born out of his passion of apples and his never-ending search for knowledge about apples.
It takes a village to make great cider. Thanks to all our friends who help out:
