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So here we are, not a month later, not 6 months later, but a whole year later from when the Bay Area went into shelter in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are still standing, still slinging cider, and looking forward to some big things to come in the next few months. Here’s a look at what things are like a year later.

How are you fairing during COVID? Still surviving? Have you had any major successes or found a new revenue stream that will work for you even after the pandemic? I’d love to hear all about it! Email me at [email protected].

Thank you to Tony Stuck for the awesome intro/outro music and to Mary Ann King for the amazing pod art that you see for every episode.

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please share it with a family member, a friend in the alcohol industry, or even just a stranger on the street! I so appreciate your support.

For more information about me and this podcast visit us online at drinksbizwomen.com or follow the podcast @drinksbizwomen on FB and Instagram. Talk to you soon! And thanks for joining me today!

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We’ve been talking about South City Ciderworks a lot lately so it’s high time we switch gears and bring in some new voices! Joining me today are the lovely ladies of Santa Cruz Cider Company, Natalie and Nicole. I have so many questions so we will talk about as many things as we can squeeze into an episode - production, taproom, their coastal community, their diverse industry experiences, and I’m sure apples will factor in somewhere.

Santa Cruz Cider Website

It all started with a pickup truck full of found apples. Husband and wife Felix and Nicole Todd were searching for property when they stumbled across an abandoned apple orchard in Watsonville, Ca. Nicole, having a passion for fermenting anything she can get her hands on, insisted they use the apple crop that was clearly going to waste. The obvious outcome for this found loot was CIDER!

In 2013 Nicole partnered up with her sister, Natalie Henze and her family to become Santa Cruz Cider Company. Their family takes great pride in the whole cider making process to bring you our delicious cider. They maintain the orchards they pick from in Santa Cruz County as well as pick, process, ferment and package all of their cider themselves. They are the true meaning of a local, Family owned and hand crafted cider.

In California? Grab some of their cider today!!

Special Mentions:

Five Mile Orchard - @thefivemileorchard
Bonny Doon Winery - @bonnydoonvineyard
Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery - @scmbrew

Thank you to Tony Stuck for the awesome intro/outro music and to Mary Ann King for the amazing pod art that you see for every episode.

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please share it with a family member, a friend in the alcohol industry, or even just a stranger on the street! I so appreciate your support.

For more information about me and this podcast visit us online at drinksbizwomen.com or follow the podcast @drinksbizwomen on FB and Instagram. Talk to you soon! And thanks for joining me today!

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Hello!!

Welcome to Courage and Other C Words! I’m your host, Jenn Root Martell and I have Alex with me again to finish out this second part of the cidery build out conversation! 

However, getting a space is only half the battle in getting up and running as a business as you can imagine. Though it does feel like a lot of money goes out the door up front, sometimes spending wisely at the beginning will save you a ton of headache later on. Take it from us. 

So where does one start with the build out? First things first - you need an architect. I’d suggest going around to breweries or wineries in the area and asking them who they used. 

Also if you can, find a decent general contractor from word of mouth or who has really good references.

The FLOORS. 

• Slope it toward the drains
• Drainage - trench drains down the middle of the space

We had to implement certain additions to our build out to satisfy them as the city wouldn’t sign off on a building permit until health said it was OK. 

• 3-compartment sink
• Hand washing sink 
• Seal the ceilings with paint 
• FRP on the walls 
• Sealing the floor
• Mop sink in a separate room. Ours is in the bathroom

And then there were things we needed to talk our way out of because, like I said, our health department probably still thinks that we’re cooking food over here. 

• No grease trap
• No hoods

Along with the floors are other appliances that will make your life LOADS easier.

• Hot water mixer
• Up to date water heater
• Plenty of power drops
• Refillable CO2 bulk tank with individual controllable manifold
• Air compressor

Also, if there is any way you can put something on casters. Do it!! 

• Chiller
• Pumps (definitely need pumps)
• Filter

A lab of some sort. 

• Titration equipment
• pH meter and calibration solutions
• SO2 reagents for testing
• Small kitchen scale (preferably waterproof)
• Plastic sample test tubes

And if you’re fancy enough to be able to set aside more space for this, here are some suggestions:

• Microscope
• Microbio tester - Can get a portable one like what we have - Hygiena
• All the beakers and test tubes and measuring things

Also adjacent to the production space is - COLD STORAGE. 

The stuff you need to actually start making cider. 

• Stainless steel fermentation tanks. 1000gal/35BBL
• Brite tanks - jacketed, insulated, and pressurized
• Glycol chiller and piping
• DIY piping system - PEX? Don’t say process hosing to the city
• Smaller tanks
• Designated mixing tank and racking tanks

Along with the tanks we definitely needed:

• Forklift (used) - an absolute must have
• Low profile pallet jack 

The decision to pull the trigger on most of these was in reaction to issues or in general just trying to save our backs. 

• Electric pallet jack to save your back
• Electric pallet stacker 

Along that thread, there were definitely a few other things that we didn’t even think about:

• Rack for hoses
• Ozone machine

Thank you to Tony Stuck for the awesome intro/outro music and to Mary Ann King for the amazing pod art that you see for every episode.

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please share it with a family member, a friend in the alcohol industry, or even just a stranger on the street! I so appreciate your support.

For more information about me and this podcast visit us online at drinksbizwomen.com or follow the podcast @drinksbizwomen on FB and Instagram. Talk to you soon! And thanks for joining me today!

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Having a hell of a time finding the perfect home for your business?? You are not alone! It took us almost a year and so many visits just to find a space for the cidery that was acceptable. Not quite the journey we expected but that’s how it rolled out. For this episode I’ll go into more detail of what we were looking for and what we came up with in the end. I’ll even bring Alex in to have him share some of his thoughts on this journey.

Are you on a search for a business location and are losing hope? Found the perfect spot and want to share your story? I’d love to hear about it! Email me at jenn@drinksbizwomen. 

Thank you to Tony Stuck for the awesome intro/outro music and to Mary Ann King for the amazing pod art that you see for every episode.

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please share it with a family member, a friend in the alcohol industry, or even just a stranger on the street! I so appreciate your support.

For more information about me and this podcast visit us online at drinksbizwomen.com or follow the podcast @drinksbizwomen on FB and Instagram. Talk to you soon! And thanks for joining me today!

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I am joined once again by my production manager, Alisha Blue. The two of us are both going through a unique experience as we are both expecting little ones this year. Join us as we walk through the three trimesters of pregnancy and how we have kept things going doing production and running a company. This process has forced us to change and adapt and look at the world a little differently. It’s been a lot to take in but it can be done!

Are you a working mother or are trying to balance a family and a job in this industry? Any tricks of the trade you’d be willing to share? Shoot me an email at [email protected]. I’d love to hear about it! 

Thank you to Tony Stuck for the awesome intro/outro music and to Mary Ann King for the amazing pod art that you see for every episode.

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please share it with a family member, a friend in the alcohol industry, or even just a stranger on the street! I so appreciate your support.

For more information about me and this podcast visit us online at drinksbizwomen.com or follow the podcast @drinksbizwomen on FB and Instagram. Talk to you soon! And thanks for joining me today!

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For this episode I’d like to jump into a production story that has stuck with all of us after almost 6 years in business. That is the story of our first batch ever, where pretty much everything that could go wrong, did go wrong, how we dealt with it and the magic that came out of it. It just shows that even on the worst of days, you can always find a way though.

Have you started a project or a business and have a funny story of when everything went wrong? Maybe not so funny at the time? Any lessons learned from failures or mistakes that you’d be up for sharing? Please send them on over to [email protected]. I’d love to hear about it!

Thank you to Tony Stuck for the awesome intro/outro music and to Mary Ann King for the amazing pod art that you see for every episode.

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please share it with a family member, a friend in the alcohol industry, or even just a stranger on the street! I so appreciate your support.

For more information about me and this podcast visit us online at drinksbizwomen.com or follow the podcast @drinksbizwomen on FB and Instagram. Talk to you soon! And thanks for joining me today!

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For this episode, we’re still talking sales but we’re switching it up a bit! To help me with that is Virginia Vaughn who for several years has been a Bay Area sales rep for Original Pattern Brewing Company located on Oakland. I pick her brain about the beer world and how she manages the challenges and celebrates the successes of sales. 

Follow Virginia to hear more about her life as a beer slinger and all the yummy beers she sells! 

@thebeervaughn

For more about Original Pattern Brewing Company and all their yummy brews:

10 Best New Breweries 2019 by USA Today! Award winning. Employee owned. Oakland, CA. Hazy IPAs, Sours, Lagers, IPAs, Belgians. Open daily at noon.

@originalpattern

OPBC Website

Thank you to Tony Stuck for the awesome intro/outro music and to Mary Ann King for the amazing pod art that you see for every episode.

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please share it with a family member, a friend in the alcohol industry, or even just a stranger on the street! I so appreciate your support.

For more information about me and this podcast visit us online at drinksbizwomen.com or follow the podcast @drinksbizwomen on FB and Instagram. Talk to you soon! And thanks for joining me today!

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Sales series continues! This time I dive into showcasing the cider community as a whole. It is one divided by core beliefs in what makes a proper cider. And stemming from this cultural schism, bad behavior by some of those in our community keeps us divided at the state and local level. While most of us are boots on the ground, making relationships, and building the category in a positive way, while also staying friends and colleagues, others are doing the opposite.

Do you have any questions about cider or the apples we use? Any confusing things you’ve seen in the market? Are you dealing with other aggressive sales people in any industry and have some funny stories? I’d love to hear about it! Shoot me a note at [email protected].

Thank you to Tony Stuck for the awesome intro/outro music and to Mary Ann King for the amazing pod art that you see for every episode.

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please share it with a family member, a friend in the alcohol industry, or even just a stranger on the street! I so appreciate your support.

For more information about me and this podcast visit us online at drinksbizwomen.com or follow the podcast @drinksbizwomen on FB and Instagram. Talk to you soon! And thanks for joining me today!

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I continue my journey on the sales beat - sharing lessons learned, successes, and failures, the female experience. You know, all the things! Joining me to add her perspective is Cathy Gabel of Blindwood Cider Company who, along with her husband and sister-in-law have bootstrapped a small hard cider company across the Bay in San Leandro and are making great ciders from locally and regionally sourced apples.

Blindwood Website

Meet Drew, Cathy, and Erin! Their cidery had its humble beginnings in Drew’s cramped garage in Hayward, CA.  He has embraced a life long passion for home brewing, experimentation, and all growing things.  He has learned the value of sustainable, responsible, and non-exploitive horticulture.  

It's this devotion and experience that they put into every ounce of our craft cider.  They use only the best apples, and never brew from concentrate. At Blindwood Cider, they aim to wring the best draft from every branch. 

Grab a bottle Today!

Thank you to Tony Stuck for the awesome intro/outro music and to Mary Ann King for the amazing pod art that you see for every episode.

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please share it with a family member, a friend in the alcohol industry, or even just a stranger on the street! I so appreciate your support.

For more information about me and this podcast visit us online at drinksbizwomen.com or follow the podcast @drinksbizwomen on FB and Instagram. Talk to you soon! And thanks for joining me today!

Send us a text

For this episode I venture back through the years to relive the lessons I have learned slinging cider in the Bay Area and trying to build a cider brand from scratch in a market I knew nothing about. It’s been a rough journey but all the cider you sell along the way and the relationships you build makes all the pain worth it. Most days...

Are you still on the sales beat even during these trying times? Have some great stories from your time doing sales? Is there anything you’ve struggling with for your sales pitch? If any of this rings true with you, email me at [email protected]. I’d love to hear about it and totally commiserate! 

Thank you to Tony Stuck for the awesome intro/outro music and to Mary Ann King for the amazing pod art that you see for every episode.

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please share it with a family member, a friend in the alcohol industry, or even just a stranger on the street! I so appreciate your support.

For more information about me and this podcast visit us online at drinksbizwomen.com or follow the podcast @drinksbizwomen on FB and Instagram. Talk to you soon! And thanks for joining me today!