Community is Everything: Meet Katie

One of Portland Cider’s greatest assets is our very own behind-the-scenes ray of sunshine, Katie! 

For the last four years, Katie has been a powerhouse on our marketing team, coordinating and attending events, taking photos, making fun videos and bringing a ton of joy to our social media feed. She’s our Cider Buzz Strategist, singing the praises of Portland Cider to anyone who’ll listen, and single-handedly creating countless fans. Her favorite part of the job? “Meeting people, connecting with the community, and hearing all the suggestions for new Portland Cider varieties… I love interacting  with them and talking all things cider.” 

Katie was born in Japan to a Filipino mother, so Asian food and culture run deep in her roots. Growing up, there was always something delicious cooking—pancit, or chicken adobo, or whatever her grandmother decided to whip up. Now, Katie loves checking out the AAPI-owned restaurants around Portland, looking for a little taste of home. Her current favorite? “Magna Kusina is incredible. Not only is their food next-level, but the atmosphere captures that feeling of community that I grew up with. Going there makes me feel like I’m at a family gathering.” Other current favorites include Phuket Cafe for Thai food, and Takibi for Japanese. In fact, she recently visited all three in a single day! 

When she’s not restaurant-hopping and cider-buzzing, she serves on the board of the Montavilla Jazz Festival, helping the Portland jazz community grow and thrive. And her favorite cider is Blueberry Bourbon Basil, because it’s amazing, but also because of the inspired collaboration between Blue Star and Portland Cider. Once again…it’s all about community! 

Now, Katie is packing her bags to move across the country for her other dream job. Growing up in a military family has taught her that a big move can be more invigorating than scary, and while she has mixed feelings about leaving Portland and the cider she loves, she’s more than ready for the challenge—and she swears she’ll be teaching her new friends to expect more from their cider on the East Coast, too!

As sad as we are to see her go, we’re really excited for what lies ahead for Katie. She’s leaving our community better than it was, and the entire Portland Cider team wishes her the very best with the big move and the new gig. We will be cheering for her from the West Coast sidelines as she scores big in the years ahead!