Interview
This interview is with Eliseo Bell-Uribe of Heartland Ciderworks. In this interview, Eliseo discusses his experiences within the traditional cider industry.
Eliseo talks about his decision to join the cider industry. Throughout the years, cider has always been Eliseo’s favorite alcoholic beverage to enjoy. During Eliseo’s experimentation trying fermented beverages, he was studying economics at Oregon State University in hopes of going into governmental economics. When that didn’t pan out as he expected, he decided to dive head-first into the cider industry. Eliseo had been working at a farm market that grew apples and produced traditional cider. After using some of those apples to make his own “laundry bucket cider,” Eliseo spent some time as a cidermaker at Bauman’s Cider Company until he went on to create his own brand.
Eliseo discusses starting Heartland on his own. Eliseo’s goal was to showcase what cider can be. Heartland focuses on traditional cidermaking, meaning it has more tannins, higher acids, is not as sweet, and is unflavored. Eliseo actually rents floor space at a winery to make his cider. With a lack of proper equipment, Eliseo uses winery equipment to crush his fruit and store his cider. Currently, Eliseo does everything himself to produce Heartland ciders. Eliseo plans to keep the operation small as long as possible and make slow, steady growth. However, Eliseo has goals of adding balsamic vinegar and non-alcoholic cider to his inventory.
Later in the interview, Eliseo talks about the legal struggles that he comes across when producing a traditional cider brand. In the current climate, Eliseo believes there is a hole in the market for traditional cider. He explains that it is difficult to get his products into retail stores and restaurants even after winning multiple awards from Northwest Cider Cup. Eliseo also expresses his opinions on frustrating cider laws that prohibit cider labels from featuring the vintage and growing region.
This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Linfield University in McMinnville on August 20, 2026.