Hudson Valley Cider Donuts

“The Hudson Valley is Cider Donuts country"

It's cider season

The Hudson Valley Renegades announced the "Cider Donuts" as a new, alternate brand identity beginning in the 2023 season. The team will wear special Cider Donuts uniforms for four games, celebrating the region's beloved autumn treat.

“It is impossible to think about the fall season in the Hudson Valley without thinking of the smell and taste of warm apple cider donuts,” said Tyson Jeffers, General Manager of the Renegades at the time of the announcement. “The Hudson Valley is Cider Donuts country, and it’s time to share this fall delicacy with the world!”

At every Renegades home game at Heritage Financial Park, the Renegades have fresh cider donuts made on premises for fans to enjoy. Cider Donuts games will be themed towards fall favorites, and the Gades will feature special food offerings at concessions stands throughout the ballpark. Favorites as part of the rotating menu have been the Cider Donut Burger and Cider Donut Sundae.

“We want the Cider Donuts to be a magical experience from the time our fans purchase their gear to our debut on June 3,” said Jeffers. “This brand is an integral part of our continued efforts to enhance the fan experience each and every night at Heritage Financial Park.”

Dressed for fall

Cider Donuts merchandise is available for purchase exclusively online at the Renegades Team Store. The first 500 fans that purchased Cider Donuts shirts or sweatshirts had their apparel delivered in an exclusive Cider Donuts Donut Box. The first 500 Cider Donuts hats shipped in exclusive Cider Donuts Donut Hole boxes. A full line of merchandise is available for sale online at the Renegades' team store, and the identity will be integrated for all home games at the ballpark. Additionally, a new mascot, Dusty the Donut, was introduced to the Renegades family.

Presented by Taste NY

The Cider Donuts are presented by Taste NY. Taste NY highlights the quality, diversity, and economic impact of food and beverages grown, produced, or processed in New York State. Taste NY aims to create new opportunities for producers through events, retail locations, and partnerships.

History of the Apple Cider Donut

The apple cider donut has taken on a life as an unofficial food of the Hudson Valley, being beloved by generations throughout our community. While the exact origins of the cider donut are unknown, they seemed to have been invented in the late 19th century shortly after the advent of the donut. In Buffalo newspapers, there are accounts as far back as 1901 mentioning them as a fall favorite treat to make at home. The earliest known advertisements for commercially-made apple cider donuts in the Hudson Valley date back to 1924. In 1951, Adolph Levitt's Harlem-based Donut Corporation of America introduced the "sweet cider donut" mix, helping to bring widespread popularity to the treat.

Apple cider donuts are synonymous with fall in the Hudson Valley, with over 30 apple orchards and two dozen cideries calling the region home. The standard recipe for cider donuts includes adding apple cider and fall spices to a cake donut batter. After cooking, they are finished with a coating of cinnamon sugar to make a perfect sweet fall treat.

Hudson North Cider Renegades Cider Donut Hard Cider

The Renegades have partnered with Hudson North Cider Co. on a special Renegades Cider Donut Cider, available at Heritage Financial Park for every Renegades home game. The Cider is light and refreshing, and tastes like apple pie, fall spices and donut batter. In addition to purchasing Cider Donut Cider at the ballpark, you can purchase it through the Hudson North Cider online store, or in select grocery stores in the Hudson Valley.

In the news

The hole story: Hudson Valley's Cider Donuts

WAPPINGERS FALLS, N.Y. -- A light breeze wafted through Heritage Financial Park on June 3, complementing an overcast sky, temperatures in the mid-60s and, later, a rain shower. The calendar may have indicated otherwise, but the vibe at the ballpark was decidedly autumnal. How apropos, then, that this was the evening in which the Hudson Valley Renegades made their debut as the Cider Donuts.