creative economy

ACE Inside Look: Nine Pin Cider

May 1, 2018 By Maureen Sager

[cs_content][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][rev_slider NinePin_April2018][cs_text]Photos and article by Ska City Photography; photos from the ACE Creative Economy Mixer on April 23, 2018.

Nine Pin Cider Works is a thriving business that retains the appeal and loyalty of a family-run endeavor despite growing their wholesale footprint to 3 states and housing a large tasting room in the heart of the Capital District.

Bottles are still hand labeled on-site, all employees are empowered to contribute future batch ideas, and the canning line is as likely to be manned by the owner as it is by the Head of Packaging, Justin. Seven massive tanks dominating the warehouse are playfully named after the Seven Dwarves, while 26 smaller capsules are on hand for creating a constantly changing menu of retail seasonal and specialty blends.

Spend a few minutes with Nine Pin Founder and Cider Maker Alejandro del Peral and you will quickly realize that their success is no accident: Alejandro’s infectious enthusiasm, entrepreneurial spirit, degrees in Biology and Hydrology and experience in Engineering uniquely combine to set a casual, dedicated atmosphere. Asked to have his portrait taken in front of whichever Dwarf tank best fit him on the day of our visit, he walked to Dopey without hesitation. This humility and having mother Sonya (an attorney by day) as the company Business Manager keep Alejandro grounded while leading one of the fastest growing creative businesses in the region.

Location: 929 Broadway, Albany NY [map it!]

Employees: 13 Full-Time, 17 total

In business since: 2013, with the first batch production in February 2014

Products: 4 wholesale cider core products, and 100-150 small batch blends annually

Was any single experience or moment the trigger for your company progressing from an idea to reality?

Alejandro del Peral: It really stemmed from when I was in Grad School – I became very interested in food systems and what I ate and where it was grown. Sustainable food systems usually involve sourcing everything locally, but ‘local beer’ was made with ingredients from all over the world. It was ‘local’ but it wasn’t driving the economy. When I heard that New York had the second largest apple crop in the country that was my “Eureka” moment.

What advice would you give to a person starting a creative business?

AdP: First, you need a lot more money than you think you do. Secondly, you must realize that as much as you want to be creative it is about what your market and customers want and you must be open to being creative within the parameters set by the market you are serving.

What inspires you?

AdP: Inspiration comes from the involvement of everyone in the company. New York produces the most varieties of apples in the country and working with the team to find new blends is inspiring. Having the Tasting Room gives us an outlet to experiment; with our wholesale products we are more reserved with what we produce because there is so much more invested. We can make a 50-gallon batch, put it on tap here and even if it doesn’t turn out incredible we get the feedback from the consumers and it isn’t a huge loss.

Was there a particular moment or milestone where you thought “Ok, now we’ve ‘made it’”?

AdP: I was at a bar and overheard a conversation about our cider and realized the brand had grown beyond just me and those associated with me and my mom. It has its own image out there and it’s not totally in our control any more. Still, there hasn’t been a feeling that we’ve ‘made it’ because we are still in Start-Up mode. Things are going well, but we are not there yet.
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Solving Diversity Issues in the Creative Economy

April 16, 2018 By Maureen Sager

Guest post by Ashleigh Kinsey, owner, AK Design

On April 11, 2018, ACE had a Creative Economy event with the subject “Open Forum: Diversity in the Creative Economy.”

The purpose of this meeting was to engage members of the community and have a conversation about diversity in upstate New York’s Creative Economy. Although this is the fourth largest employment sector, providing over 35,000 jobs to Capital Region residents, there is an issue with diversity. U.S. Census data reports that in July 2016, 76.9% of those who took the census reported they identified as white alone, with 13.3% identifying as Black alone.

As a lifelong resident of Troy and Albany NY, I can tell you those numbers seemed accurate when I was in grade school, but in 2016 I personally saw much more diversity. And in 2018, my daughter attends an elementary school with students from all over the globe, in a predominantly non-white classroom. I would love to take the time to sit with my daughter one day to really research our family history – we might visit here for starters and take a look at old census records to see what that can tell us. I want her to only be proud of who she is and where she comes from.

Although there are many groups and organizations in the Capital Region that cater to Creative Industries, they are quite separate culturally. Organizations like ACE and Power Breakfast Club have been instrumental in providing ways to bridge the gap and truly work towards a greater, more inclusive creative economy. However, nationally recognized organizations, of which I had a membership, did not make me feel welcome as a woman of color.

The Open Forum, moderated by Ada Harper of 518blk.com, had 5 panelists:

DJ Trumaster, Founder of Beat Shot Productions,
Dale Davidson, Owner of Umana Restaurant and Wine Bar,
Bhawin Suchak, Executive Director of Youth FX,
Hana van der Kolk, Troy-based touring Choreographer and Performance Artist,
and myself, Ashleigh Kinsey, Owner of AK Design, Digital Media Services and Consulting.

Panelists shared their experiences in the Creative Economy, and the successes and struggles they have overcome to get where they are today. Many of the stories shared were successes that have come out of the need to create something for others like themselves, as many times they were the ones being left without a seat at the table. The conversation went on. How do we create a truly inclusive environment for creatives of any race, culture, gender, etc. to come together and share their gifts and voices in a way that benefits the entire community?

After a formal discussion, the audience asked their questions of the panel, and many were of the same common thread. What do we need to do? How do we do it? What would the next step be? Organizations need to be more inclusive and not just plan a diversity event, but make diversity a part of the planning for every event.

One of my suggestions was to create a community within ACE that would provide a digital Rolodex of sorts, and include the freelancers and professionals involved with ACE between event times. A network where these creatives could share their ideas and collaborate with one another. ACE networking events have been a wonderful resource for me as a creative to meet other creative folks and has lit a fire in me when it comes to creating change in my community. I appreciate the event, and the opportunity to share my thought on it. I certainly hope this conversation does not die as mere words and ideas, but lives and thrives on the energy it has been given to make the Capital Region one of the most diverse, and creative regions in the country.

If any part of this article has stirred you, feel free to write to me by clicking here. I encourage you to take action and get involved with ACE and your Creative Economy. For other events and more information, visit https://upstatecreative.org/.

This is a guest post contributed by a member of the ACE community. Guest posts do not necessarily reflect the views or represent official statements from ACE or ACE partners.[/cs_text][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][/cs_content]

New Video Highlights Albany Symphony & Creative Economy

November 3, 2017 By Maureen Sager

[cs_content][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_video_embed no_container=”false” type=”16:9″][/x_video_embed][cs_text]Check out this terrific video tour hosted by Albany Symphony’s David Alan Miller, created by the Capital Region Economic Development Council to celebrate and spotlight some fantastic projects around our region, including Creative Economy star Melissa auf der Maur of Basilica Hudson.

Interested in all of the CREDC’s priority projects? Find them here in the 2017 “Capital Region Creates” Progress Report.[/cs_text][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][/cs_content]