Bex Pezzullo Builds A Dream
Bex Pezzullo Builds A Dream
No career quite fit—until she made space for herself in cider.
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Without inherited land or a serious amount of cash, starting a cider company can either be an insurmountable obstacle, or an opportunity to start completely fresh. For Bex Pezzullo of California-based Sincere Cider, it was the latter. With both a respect for tradition and yearning for creative expression, Bex is working to re-write the rules of contemporary American cider. “With heirloom apples, there are people telling the story of agriculture, but there's also a great space for people to get their crayons out and make some stuff,” she explains. “My hope is that under the umbrella, there's always room for both parties.”
It took nearly 20 minutes for Bex and I to get through chatting about the Hollywood writers’ strike, comparing how quickly our social batteries drain, how to make friends as adults, why we both prefer honesty over tact, and how prison populations artificially inflate town populations for tax benefits to even start talking about Sincere Cider. But honestly, who wants to hear about target markets and five-year sales projections when Bex is talking about working at Bonnaroo?
But in talking about Bonnaroo—the annual music and arts festival in Manchester, Tennessee—and her experience having to clear out the outdoor furniture section at Target to construct a makeshift backstage for the musicians after an incident with some destructive raccoons, her personal values still managed to reveal themselves.
“I have very, very deep thoughts on the extraction of wealth by companies,” Bex says, pointing to mega-conglomerates that rake in millions of dollars every year, but pay employees the absolute bare minimum. “You can just see the dollar bills leaving the community.”
That’s the opposite of what Bex wants to build with Sincere. Person to person, dollar for dollar, she has spent three years building her cider company, largely alone and on the road. It’s face time and physical hand shakes that grow small businesses, not greed.
As of today, Sincere offers five core and seasonal ciders: Dry Apple, Granada (with California pomegranate and Seville orange), Ginger Agave, Pine Apple (with foraged spruce tips), and Hibiscus Passion Fruit. Direct-to-consumer shipping is available to 38 states, plus Washington, D.C., but distribution is limited to California and three cities in Nevada (Reno, Tahoe, and Las Vegas). Those regions are likely to remain the only ones for the foreseeable future.
It’s not that Bex is opposed to expansion. She’s simply not ready to spread herself thin. Being able to be there, in person, “getting a foothold, showing up with a great product in an authentic way, and participating in those communities” is what she says is important. “Then, I'll let the growth happen naturally,” she adds. “I can do a better job of everything, but I also can't do everything.”
Bringing more people on board will happen one day, probably sooner rather than later. But finding someone who’s just as dedicated and passionate about the business she’s been building non-stop, mostly during a global pandemic? “What does that look like? What does that feel like? What's the right way to do that?” she wonders. “I'm so fucking impressed with what I've done with nothing—like literally nothing—but I'm also terrified of what I've done with with nothing, and overwhelmed by it. It consumes you.”
But, Bex adds, when inevitable expansion does happen, she wants to make sure the spaces they operate in together are safe, inclusive, and supportive. Working in the alcohol industry can mean finding oneself in uncomfortable, if not dangerous situations exacerbated by excess consumption. As a self-described queer and masculine-of-center woman, she knows her experiences working at a festival are often different than younger or more feminine women, and she wants to make damn sure that anyone in her corner feels completely supported.
That no-strings-attached backing extends to Sincere accounts and consumers as well. “I want to support everyone who needs it,” she says, naming a smorgasbord of philanthropic partnerships that Sincere contributes to, from 1% for the Planet to direct farmworker aid. There’s not always a rhyme or reason to giving, she says. “It’s just always going to be showing up for anyone who asks us.”
In the spirit of Taylor Swift (“I may have Taylor Swift lyrics tattooed on my body”), Bex says she’s currently in her Show Up Era. The first three years have been percolating in a cocoon. Now, it’s time for her to spread her wings. It’s been a long time coming, with a few false starts. She describes her time in and after college as a series of jobs—including wine and across other various hospitality gigs—that ultimately made her realize one simple truth.
“I've always been on my own path,” she says, emphasizing that her experience in corporate life made her realize that she could no longer be the person with the solutions for someone else. She had to build something for herself, knowing that success may not look the same to everyone. “I was renting my magic to other people,” Bex laughs. “My new story is [figuring out] ‘What good can we create out there?’”
Follow Bex and Sincere Cider on Instagram at @sincerecider or on Sincere’s website sincerecider.com.
What I’m Reading
I recently, at 38 ½ years old, got a Kindle Paperwhite, and regret to inform you all that the hype is true. I’m burning through books, including recents like Salt Slow by Julia Armfield and The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi (both excellent). Next in my queue is Everything/Nothing/Someone by Alice Carrière and The St. Ambrose School for Girls by J.R. Ward (will report back). It’s reading season, y’all.
What’s Going On
One week left until The Beer Lover’s Guide to Cider officially hits shelves—eeeek! I have a boatload of events between then and Christmas (even a few after that), so be sure to check my Events page to see if/when I’m heading to a city near you. I’m always updating it, so if you don’t see your city yet, check there and my Instagram for the latest updates.
Also, not to put too fine a point on it, but that means there’s still one week to preorder your copy from Amazon, Bookshop, or anywhere you prefer to buy books. Preorders are outrageously helpful for authors, so if you’re on the fence, hop off, order yours, and help a first-time author out!
What I’m Waiting For
I recently used the last Kringle I had in my freezer (it was Raspberry, in case you were wondering) and find myself in the unenviable position of being Kringle-less. However! I heard a rumor that Pumpkin Caramel Kringles are coming out in the next week or two. God help me in the meantime. And if you’re wondering “What’s a Kringle?,” I am so sorry for you.
Do you know of a woman or non-binary person working in beverage alcohol who hasn’t seen the spotlight—and should? Nominate them for a future feature!
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