HEALDSBURG, Calif. – Golden State Cider, the pioneering, apple-driven dry cider maker in Sonoma County, announces a new executive team to spearhead the company’s ongoing expansion and growth. The three team members come from some of the most influential brands in the beverage industry including, Rogue Ales, Constellation Brands, Precept Wines and Revive Kombucha.
In 2018, GSC has experienced sales growth of over 65% and in the next six months, Golden State Cider will be unveiling an online retail shop, opening their first tasting room at the Barlow in Sebastopol and installing high-speed canning machinery at their new cider production facility in Healdsburg. These projects will allow more people to experience the quality ciders that differentiate GSC: from using only 100% fresh pressed apples and champagne yeast to post-modern cider making techniques.
Promoted to Chief Executive Officer, Chris Lacey was formerly GSC’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Lacey came to GSC with over 13 years of experience in the areas of sales, marketing and business development for wine, beer, and spirits; notably growing Constellation Brand’s beer sales at DBI Beverage in San Francisco, developing brand strategies for Precept Wine’s 20 core wine brands in the Pacific Northwest and expanding products and sales at Rogue Ales in Oregon across 50 states and 25 countries. Lacey will be taking over management responsibilities from co-founder Hunter Wade, who will focus on strategic projects moving forward.
“I am excited to lead Golden State Cider into its next stage of growth and development,” Lacey said. “It’s been an amazing year and I am grateful to co-founders Jolie and Hunter for having the faith in me to lead the company. I am committed to GSC’s mission to create the highest quality dry ciders while revitalizing the apple industry in California. With the new leadership team, Golden State Cider is well-positioned to lead the growth of the cider segment.”
Gary Fleshman joins Golden State Cider as the Director of Sales from Rogue Ales where he was Director of International Sales and Marketing for 11 years. He was instrumental in expanding Rogue’s international distribution from 8 to 54 countries and growing international sales from $195,000 to over $4.2 million. Fleshman has over 25 years of experience in sales and management with companies such as Nike, Intel, as well as Rogue Ales.
Natalie Naber joins Golden State Cider’s executive team as Director of Human Resources and Accounting. Previously Naber served as Golden State Cider’s Accounting and Human Resources Manager. During her time with GSC, she has established and streamlined HR processes and systems to accommodate GSC’s planned growth. Before joining the GSC team, Natalie worked at Revive Kombucha as Accounting Manager.
As Golden State Cider enters its largest sales growth and operational expansion period to date, the three team members are joined by Tim Godfrey, GCS’s Head Cider Maker and Director of Production to round out the new executive team.
About Golden State Cider
Our story starts in 1976 when a Berkeley couple moved back to the land and started cultivating apples, flowers, and veggies in Sebastopol, CA. In 2012, Golden State Cider started crafting the highest quality ciders from the farm’s heritage apples. Today, GSC makes four core dry ciders: Mighty Hops, Bay Brut, Gingegrass, the flagship Mighty Dry in addition to the seasonal Harvest series. All of our ciders are made from 100% pressed apples and are naturally gluten-free and vegan-friendly. Follow us on Instagram @drinkgoldenstate.