Ellensburg Cidery Grows with Business Guidance

When Susie Jensen retired from being an art teacher, she knew she wasn’t quite ready for quiet retirement life. Through her travels she discovered a love for full-bodied dry hard cider and decided she wanted to produce her own cider. Founded in 2017 in Ellensburg, WA, Wheel Line Cider is dedicated to the craft of reviving and pressing heirloom bittersweet apples.  Shortly after launching her business, Jensen participated and received encouraging feedback from judges in the Kittitas and Yakima County Enterprise Challenge Business Plan Competition. She also recognized the need for a business plan and setting goals.

Jensen sought out business expertise from SBA Resource Partner SCORE for startup guidance, and then began meeting regularly with Washington Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Adviser Sarah Truglio.

Thanks to Truglio’s consistent advising, Jensen has developed and implemented a sustainable business model, both in terms of financial and environmental sustainability. The cidery has achieved a zero-waste model by giving the apple waste from the press to local farmers for livestock feed. In only three years, Founder Susie Jensen took Wheel House Cider from an idea to a reality and went from a staff of one to five full-time employees, while growing a popular presence both in-person and online. Cider production has doubled during the past year and Jensen recently added a cold storage area to production. Wheel Line Cider is one of the few woman-owned cideries with their own apple orchard in the United States. Wheel House Cider was named the 2020 SBA Seattle District Rural Business of the Year.