FINNRIVER FARM & CIDERY HIRES NEW CEO, BEGINS FOUNDER TRANSITION

Amanda Oborne joins the B-Corp farm and cidery full-time as of April 2024

Chimacum, WA – April 9, 2024. Effective today, Finnriver Farm & Cidery welcomes a new CEO to lead the company into its next chapter, as its original founders begin transitioning out of daily operations. Co-Founder Crystie Kisler will stay at the company part-time focused on mission-driving projects, land partnerships, and community relations. Co-Founder Eric Jorgensen will take on a board role and advise on strategic finance. Finnriver was named a B-Corp “Best for the World” company in 2023, and will celebrate 15 years farming and fermenting on the leading edge of the American craft hard cider revival in 2025. 

“As Finnriver embarks on its next stage of development, we feel Amanda’s leadership is just the fertilizer we need for flourishing growth,” said Kisler. Jorgenson agrees, adding, “Amanda’s unique skill set and long-term relationship with Finnriver makes her a perfect fit at this moment in our evolution.”

Amanda joins Finnriver following 15 years of food system, regenerative agriculture, and investing roles, including as VP of Food, Farms & Fisheries at the non-profit Ecotrust, Executive Director of Oregon Entrepreneurs Network (OEN), and Managing Director of Ideaship, an innovation-focused investment fund. In 2015, Amanda wrote a food infrastructure gap analysis that became a vital resource for regional food system development in the Pacific Northwest. She went on to help develop a $25M food hub and historic redevelopment, called the Redd on Salmon St., in Portland, Oregon, and launched an Ag of the Middle Accelerator supporting independent family farmers, ranchers and fishers in scaling up to serve regional markets. In 2017 she was named one of the “Most Creative People in Business” by Fast Company magazine. Amanda spent the first 15 years of her career in corporate direct marketing for major brands including Levi Strauss & Co. and Intuit. She earned a master’s degree in Integrated Marketing Communications from Northwestern University and a bachelor’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis.

“As a long-time fan, friend, and former collaborator of Finnriver, I could not be more excited to join this team. Finnriver is like the Patagonia of cider – the highest quality product, true reverence for land and water resources, and absolute integrity in its mission,” says Oborne.

Finnriver originally started as a small organic farm by Crystie and Keith Kisler and their original land partners. After they began experimenting with making hard cider from organic orchard apples on their farm in 2008, the Kislers partnered with their neighbor Eric Jorgensen to establish Finnriver Farm & Cidery, and sold their first bottle in 2010. Andrew Byers joined the team in 2013 and, as head cidermaker, led Finnriver to garner a slew of awards and accolades over the next decade, fermenting organic apples and pears into ciders that highlight the versatility, complexity and diversity of the local fruit.

Finnriver became a Certified B Corp in 2015 to make a public commitment to their core values and establish accountability for their mission to reconnect people to the land and grow community. In the same year, the company moved to a 50-acre historic former dairy farm at Chimacum’s central intersection, establishing the Finnriver Cider Garden as a community gathering place and regionally renowned event venue on the Olympic Peninsula. Collaborations on the land sprung forth with a dynamic community of like-minded organizations and farmers doing organic farm research, education, enterprise and advocacy. Finnriver’s Tumwater Taproom opened in 2023, bringing their mission-oriented, award-winning cider on tap to the South Puget Sound area and urban Craft District of Tumwater. Finnriver’s farmcrafted ciders are also accessible off the farm in retailers across the Pacific Northwest.

Finnriver has become a well-rooted member of the PNW cidery network, a leader in the fine cider market, and a beloved destination for visitors from near and far. Learn more at www.finnriver.com, and on Instagram @finnriver.