Pandemic Road Trip Sparks Success For Local Cider Company, Sincere Cider

Bex Pezzullo playfully refers to herself as a “recovering sommelier,” and it’s likely that her expertise in wine is one of the reasons her cider company makes some of the best cider in The Bay: Sincere Cider. Having started Sincere Cider in 2020 during the pandemic, Bex wasn’t always sure her company would make it but the steps she took to get to where she’s at now is a story that’ll inspire you to keep-on-keepin’-on with whatever dream you might have of your own. You can get there… one step at a time. While the path may not be easy, every small victory along the way will prove to be worthwhile until you reach your desired destination.

Bex With Sincere Cider – all photos by Vita Hewitt

Paving Her Own Way

Bex is not only one of the funniest people I’ve encountered but also one of the most determined. Her sharp wit is surpassed only by her fearless determination to carve out her unique journey.  It’s almost like she took each perceived failure as a signal towards what she was meant to actually be doing. Given her background in wine, Bex started out making her own. Recognizing that winemaking wasn’t her forte, she pivoted—again and again—until she discovered the perfect match. And that’s where cider making entered the scene.

Bex With Sincere Cider – all photos by Vita Hewitt

“I lived in SF for 20 years and managed some of the best Italian wine lists in the city. As an Italian wine specialist, I had been fortunate enough to travel to Italy to participate in 2 wine harvests. When I moved to Oakland, I had a one car garage and I thought ‘what a great place to make my own wine. So I sourced some equipment, and grapes and forced some friends to participate in making the worst wine I have ever had. I mean, my palette was here (hand up high) and my talent was here (hand down low.) 

After dumping the inaugural vintage down the gutter, I badly wanted to improve but it was gonna be a half of a year until more grapes would be available, so I started studying brewing – and I made some beer, it was ok but I wasn’t loving the culture at the time – it was all about giant IPA’s and bombastic flavors, I missed the finesse and structure of fruit-based fermentations. I mentioned this to a friend and she introduced me to an apple farmer in the Delta and I was off and running. I got to hone my craft and fine tune my fermentation protocols with what I consider the perfect blend of apples and the ideal yeast strain – Sincere was born,” Bex tells me.

The Rockridge Improvement Club has Sincere Cider on tap – all photos by Vita Hewitt

Bex’s start with cider was way back in 2012 but it wasn’t until the global pandemic of 2020 that she decided to cast caution aside and fully immerse herself in making Sincere Cider her sole endeavor.

“I wanted to stop ‘renting my magic’ and follow my own dream,” – Bex

Hitting the Backroads of California with Sincere Cider

While Bex found her way into cider making through trial and error, her cider company, Sincere Cider, hit the ground running in an unexpected way: through a road trip up and down the coast of California during the pandemic.

“I had a 20+ year career in Bay Area Bars, Restaurants, and Events — when COVID shut that down I had to pivot. I threw up an online store and started selling cider there, I learned to run some Facebook ads and partnered with laid-off bartenders for content… but without bars, events, and restaurants it was slow going…I knew I’d have to go wider than the Bay, I bought a vintage camper van, gave up my rent-controlled apartment, and hit the backroads of California. I’d park the van, hop on Instagram to see what was cool in any given town, and then I’d go cold call – when you pull up in a branded vintage campervan selling hard cider – people are naturally curious. So that opened a TON of doors and I met some great people.

But selling that broadly, I knew I was gonna need help…so I started hunting for distribution. I had some relationships from my buying days, and that helped me start conversations, but what sealed it was that they saw I was a modern-day ‘Johnny Appleseed’ – sleeping on the road and doing everything I could to make my dream survive,” Bex recalls.

Sincere Cider on tab at The Ric and other shops – all photos by Vita Hewitt

Eventually, Bex did get that distribution she needed but it wasn’t until she had a bunch of locations under her belt she scouted on her own. It’s so badass to me that Bex refused to let the pandemic put a pause on her dream of turning Sincere Cider into something extraordinary. She knew she had something worth sharing and she took the reins of her own destiny by cold calling up and down the coast – that takes guts! When she told me about the road trip up and down the coast of California where she opened doors on her own to introduce folks to her cider, I knew Bex is someone you really need to know. Fearless in fighting for her beliefs, she understood that the path to success during the pandemic would have to shift away from her original vision.

Bex With Sincere Cider  – all photos by Vita Hewitt

Bex’s past working with food truck venders at Off The Grid events helped her see first hand other small businesses who dug in and took leaps of faith to achieve their dreams. When I asked her what advice she’d give a person with a dream like she had lots of words of encouragement. Something I even need to hear sometimes.

“Do it!” Bex encourages,”When I was helping to create the food truck events, I used to work with so many people who had taken the leap and followed their passion, and I wish I had leapt sooner. If you ever feel daunted, pick up the phone and call someone else who has done it. Send a DM, to someone who inspires you. Do anything but just dream. It’s so much more fulfilling than collecting a check or sitting in meetings where nothing gets done.”

Sincere Cider – all photos by Vita Hewitt

Sincere Cider Gives Back Locally: Planting Trees in California Burn Scars

For our interview, I met up with Bex at one of my favorite bars in Oakland, Rockridge Improvement Club (also called The Ric), where they feature her cider on tap. It felt like the ideal setting to forge a new friendship—bonding over the very cider she crafts! While Bex’s journey founding Sincere Cider is undeniably inspiring, what stood out to me the most was how they elevated their role as “Johnny Apple Seed” by deciding on a unique very Bay Area way to give back through their company.

With each case of seasonal ciders, such as this season’s Blood Orange, Sincere Cider collaborates with One Tree Planted to plant trees in areas scarred by California wildfires. What’s even cooler? You can make a difference too! According to Bex, every tag on social media contributes. How awesome is that? Bex has a generous heart, and dare I say it, she’s sincere—just like her cider!

Sincere Cider has 4 flavors, all packed with tons of flavor and less sugar as compared with other cider companies  – all photos by Vita Hewitt

Where can you find Sincere Cider?

Well, you can for sure get Sincere Cider online and at hundreds of local spots in The Bay Area. If you want to meet Bex, that’ll have to be by chance or in a couple months. The holidays is a slower time for some types of events but Bex has some awesome stuff she’s cooking up in the future.

“Being that the start of Sincere was so nomadic, I often joke that HQ is wherever I am at the moment, with trips already planned in Jan, Feb and March, that looks to hold true in 2024. It’s pretty quiet through the end of the year, but next year I’ll be at the West Coast Craft Can Invitational, The Capitol Beer Fest and SLO Brew Fest for the start of the year, Plus I’m producing a Women/Non Binary maker event in March – did you know just 2% of US breweries are wholly women-owned?” Bex tells me.

Sincere Cider brings people together! In photo: Julia Ryan, Annabelle Smith, Rita Diamond, Heidi Koski, Bruce Paton and Bryan Seeley – all photos by Vita Hewitt

It’s clear that Bex’s story with Sincere Cider is a testament to the power of resilience and fearless determination. From her roots as a “recovering sommelier” to the unexpected twists and turns that led her to the world of cider making, Bex’s bold choices and unwavering spirit shine through. We’re reminded that every small victory, every tag on social media, contributes to a dream that’s as sincere as the cider itself. To Bex and Sincere Cider, cheers to carving your unique path, planting seeds of change, and crafting a future filled with cheers and friends.

Find Sincere Cider online:

Facebook: @sincerecider

IG: @sincerecider

Website:  www.sincerecider.com