The Alna Planning Board gave unanimous approval Monday to resident Jonathan Villeneuve’s plans for a hard apple cider business.

Villeneuve said the permit was only the first step in many licenses and permits at the state and federal level before he can open the Seesaw Cider Company. A 27 by 29 foot shed roof building is planned to house initial production of 2,500 gallons of hard cider annually. The building will also have space for a tasting room. The business will be located on 17 acres, 1,000 feet from the nearest neighbor, he said.

“There will be a wall between the production area and tasting room,” he told the board.

Villeneuve plans the tasting room to be open weekends from noon to 9 p.m.  and possibly later for special events. If all goes well, production and tasting room hours might increase over time. Parking space for six to 10 cars could be expanded into the adjacent field as needed, he said.

He said state soil scientist Daid Rocque recently visited the site and offered suggestions on wastewater disposal. Villeneuve said the process will only generate a small amount of wastewater which can be spread on the fields or stored during winter months for later disposal.

At first, the facility will have portable toilets for visitors’ use, he said. He plans to offer occasional live entertainment on the weekends. Villeneuve said music will be low key and confined to the inside of the building.

He said if all permits are approved, he could begin production this fall.

Board Chairman Beth Whitney called for a vote on the permit with the condition that entertainment should be contained within the building.

Following the meeting, Villeneuve said he has been making hard cider for personal use for 20 years following the methods his father and grandfather used in New Hampshire where he grew up. “We have been making cider for three generations,” he said.

He said he will be buying sweet cider from area orchards. The fermentation can take one to six months, thenthe sugar content either is exhausted or the yeast is stopped by cooling. The hard cider has a 4.5-6 percent alcohol content.The product may then be canned for sale or packaged into kegs for sale to bars or private parties.

At the annual town meeting in March, voters expanded alcohol sales rules to allow on-site consumption seven days a week.