Learning curve

It’s been about five years since Dana Tiel and David Bailey began their adventure with the 16-acre apple orchard and cidery known as Sierra Cider.

After leading successful careers in advertising and marketing in New York and Los Angeles, the couple were interested in finding a place where they could settle down.

“We were living the mad men life in Manhattan,” laughed Dana.

“From there we moved to L.A. and we got married during Covid.”

Looking to the future, the couple decided to buy a farm and do something they had never done before.

“Buying a farm during covid didn’t seem like the best financial decision at the time,” said Dana.

“But it has probably been the best decision of our lives.”

After finding a listing on farmland.com, the couple acquired the property from Beth and Dave Lancaster.

“They stayed on as consultants for a year,” Dana explained.

“They showed us how to do so many things. David is a scientist now. We’ve learned so much.”

Now a family of four with daughters Frankie (two), and Lucy (seven months), the orchard has 20 apple varietals and David has become the cider maker.

Along with several flagship ciders which they carry all the time, David is constantly experimenting. He has even used gummy worms to come up with something fun and creative.

“We like dry ciders but a lot of customers enjoy sweet ciders,” David said.

“It’s really about listening to our customers and hearing what they want.”

After hearing several people mention Rose wine, Blood Moon was born.

“That’s our take on Rose,” David said.

“We had someone ask if we have ever used bourbon barrels. That’s how we came up with Speak Easy which is aged with bourbon barrel oak.”

Even though David is always implementing ideas and trying new things, there’s one cider that has outlasted the rest.

“We’re getting ready to bottle Early Harvest,” he explained.

“Early Harvest is the only legacy flavor we have left. The rest of the flavors are original to us but Early Harvest from when Dave and Beth were here remains our best seller. They nailed it.”

Another crowd favorite is a tribute to the Harry Potter franchise.

“Our Butter Beer went insane last year,” Dave said.

“We do one keg every year and it brings so many people out. We’re probably going to have to give in and make it all the time.”

The couple also have a variety of local beers, apple juice, which the kids love and slushies (both non-alcoholic and alcoholic).

Sierra Cider is much more than just drinks.

The property now has a tasting room constructed from a 40 foot shipping container with a roof deck overlooking the orchard.

With an AirBnb on site, the property hosts a variety of events throughout the year.

Known as Camp STABapple, the orchard transforms into a haunted attraction, complete with a terrifying maze and live actors during October.

“We love Halloween,” Dana said.

“One of the goals was to have a Halloween maze through the orchard. It’s become a big event for us.”

Another fall season highlight is the Pumpkin Patch which is run in partnership with Adam McLane and The Farm at Worman Mill.

“Adam leases land with us and he grows a variety of things,” Dana explained.

“He also supplies food to local school districts.”

Sierra Cider hosts an Easter Egg hunt during the spring.

“It’s been growing every year,” David said.

“This year we had people driving in from Fresno and I think all the eggs had been found within the first half hour.”

The Christmas Tree Farm is another seasonal favorite.

“This past year was rough because the weather was beautiful,” laughed Dana.

“Sometimes it’s hot but it’s been a big success.”

The couple host a variety of smaller events though out the year.

“People love an excuse to dress up,” Dave said, as many show up in Harry Potter costumes for the Butter Beer release.

What started out as somewhat of a joke during the slower month of January, “Spamuary” has become one of Sierra Cider’s most loved events.

“Nothing’s going on in January but we wanted to come up with a fun idea,” Dana said.

“People receive a free can of spam with a purchase and people go nuts. We’ve turned so many people in Spam eaters.”

As the cidery as evolved, the couple have really steered the business to be family oriented.

“The longer we’ve been open, we’ve skewed the experience to be more family friendly,” David said.

“We keep adding more and more things geared toward kids and people are really responding to it.”

Last year the couple updated their petting zoo which has an old town fun area.

“We have chickens, ducks, a turkey, three goats and a sheep,” Dana said.

“We also have our dog Bella and a mini pig, Trudy.”

Trudy has become famous.

“She’s our pet, and she’s really friendly.” Trudy has a new friend, another mini pig named Pearl.

“The kids love the animals,” Dana said.

Any child who joins the “Bad Apples Club” receives a free drink if they wear their shirt when they come.

“Parents love coming here because their kids can run free in a contained area,” Dana said.

“That’s how the summer camp idea came about.”

The couple’s latest endeavor is their summer camp for kids called Camp Crabapple.

“There’s a few weeks during the summer before school starts when there aren’t any camps available,” said Dana.

“A lot of families rely on that so we’re launching Camp Crabapple to see how things go.”

Camp Crabapple is a hands-on, week long, outdoor summer day camp for kids ages 5–11.

Kids will learn to harvest fruit, care for farm animals, garden, press fresh apple juice with an antique cider press and enjoy special guest demonstrations like local beekeepers and firetruck visits among others.

Day passes are available but weekly costs for Camp Crabapple start at $385.

With other organizations in Mariposa County providing summer camp options at no charge, the cost of Camp Crabapple can be frustrating for some.

“Some people were upset that we’re charging, but we’re offering a lot during our camp days,” Dana said.

“We don’t have government funding but we’re working with the school district and others to help make it more accessible for families in the future, but it’s going to take some time.”

As the property and business have evolved, Dana and David are constantly thinking about new ideas and goals.

“I’d like to have a stage one day where we can have live music consistently,” Dana explained.

“We have pop pizza and food vendors but I would like to be able to offer more food options too.”

It’s about community.

“We’d really like to continue to add more value for families,” David said.

“The last couple months we’ve been getting involved and making new friends. It feels really good to be getting to know people in the community.”

For more information about Sierra Cider, booking the venue, Camp Crabapple and more, visit www.sierracider.com