Rooted in Our Team: Hanna Belleli
We’re rooted in being a family operation, and having talented employees that feel a little more like family comes with the territory. Portland Cider Co. began in 2013 as a family operation, and while our “family” has grown immensely since then, we still take pride in the values, dedication, and quality our close-knit team helps us produce. Someone who has quickly become an integral member of our family operation is Hanna Belleli.
Hard at work! Hanna is seen here putting the finishing touches on Pineapple Rosé before it is shipped out to stores.
Hanna joined the Portland Cider Co. team nearly two years ago. Her cider beginnings are a little out-of-the-ordinary, as Hanna didn’t originally plan to be in the cider business. In fact, she went to college and studied landscape architecture. Discovering that this wasn’t her true passion and feeling a little burnt out on landscaping design, she wanted to explore other career paths in the Portland area. She’s always had a passion for supporting small, local businesses, so Portland Cider Co. caught her attention.
She began with our team in a role helping with packaging and quickly learned every aspect of the Portland Cider Co. cidery. She is now our Cellar Hand, helping with everything from the production line to the combination and fermentation of our ciders.
She loves creating the small batch ciders since each one is so unique and they’re very different from the year-round ciders. Last year Hanna led the team (with Lynda and the other great women of Portland Cider Co. by her side) for the female-only brewing event SHEBREW, with our small batch entry Mandrake Cutie Cider. SHEBREW is a two-part non-profit event; the first part being a National Brew Competition and the second being a full day festival. This typically takes place annually in Portland each spring, but was unfortunately postponed this year due to COVID-19.
In such a short time she’s gone from cider novice to cider extraordinaire. Her favorite things about Portland Cider? She loves how we prioritize using fresh, locally sourced ingredients and how the whole team works closely together every single day.
If you see Hanna outside of the cidery, she’s likely hanging out with her pets. She has three dogs, a cat, and chickens at home. She has an obvious love for animals, but also likes spending time in nature by gardening when she can.
We’re lucky to have Hanna on our team and are excited to see her continue to grow in the cider world and here at Portland Cider Co.
Portland Cider Company is committed to making the best cider in the Pacific Northwest - it’s in our roots! Portland Cider Co. was established in 2013 with the mission of bringing together cider rooted in English tradition with a little Portland personality and culture. Combine those things and you’ve got the Portland Cider Company.