Meet Trailblazer Talia Haykin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Talia Haykin.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Talia. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I fell into Social Media Marketing about 15 years ago. I had an amazing mentor when I worked for Ballet Nouveau Colorado and I went on to get my Masters in Marketing at DU’s University College after being inspired by her. I have enjoyed working along my marketing track for years and hadn’t considered a career change.

When I met my now husband we did a lot of our dating through gardening and making. We grew a lot of food, we liked to pickle, and my husband would cold-smoke fish. We loved making things. One day, we decided to try our hand at making cider. We put up our first batch on Halloween in 2013 with some farmer’s market pasteurized apple juice. Suffice to say, it wasn’t great. But my husband has a drive for perfection so he kept exploring and testing out new ways to make it. We realized that our cider output would never be better than the input so we bought a press and grinder and started pressing our own fruit from exceptional Colorado growers. Our cider took on an exceptional quality. We treat cidermaking like winemaking, which it is – with apples instead of grapes. We were approached by investors and decided to jump in with … well… one and a half feet. We both still have our day jobs. Today our small boutique cidery is award-winning and recognized as one of the best cideries of our style in the country.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I’ve had people come to me and say “I want to start a business, what’s your advice?” My answer always is – don’t. It’s really hard. It’s really hard when you LOVE what you are doing. How much harder is it when you just decide to do it because it might make you money? Don’t start a business just to start a business.

What has worked for us is finding something unique and interesting and perfecting it before we started the business… and keeping our day jobs. We both work in other businesses so we can have fun with the cidery without worrying about sending our kids to college through that. I am a freelancer doing marketing, my husband and his father run an investment business.

Starting a business is tough, even if you are passionate about the industry. We started selling cider because we love making cider… but along the way, we had to be general contractors, plumbers, janitors, tax specialists, HR, payroll… there’s a lot more than just the thing you are passionate about when you start a business. Sometimes, I feel like we have to make a million mistakes until it’s smooth sailing… it’s not smooth sailing yet… we keep learning the hard way but we keep learning. That part is really interesting.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Haykin Family Cider – what should we know?
Our cidery is known for crisp, clean flavors. A modern style cider with no adjuncts and good carbonation. Basically like a sparkling wine. We focus on single varietal ciders – meaning made out of one type of apple and that often means single orchard too. We strive for excellent customer service in every interaction and we want our physical space to be clean and welcoming.

In my marketing business – I try to provide big-picture thinking but focused execution. I was at the forefront of the “social media marketing” craze. I’ve been working in that field for almost 15 years. And I accidentally fell into it. But it resonated with me and my skill set. Whenever I work with a client, I am not aiming to make them dependent on me forever. I want to teach them how to do many of these things on their own.

Do you feel like there was something about the experiences you had growing up that played an outsized role in setting you up for success later in life?
Well, I was raised by a rabbi who was the son of a rabbi who was the son-in-law of a rabbi. My whole childhood was focused around my dad, uncle, and grandfather’s congregations (my great-grandfather passed away before I was born) – formal and informal. So, I spent a lot of time talking to adults, being patient, and interacting on a different level. I was always sent to introduce myself to grownups when my dad or grandpa couldn’t remember someone’s name. I was gregarious and never had an issue walking up to someone and saying “Hi! I’m Talia. My dad is the rabbi. What’s your name?” And after a chat, I would report back to my dad the name so he could comfortably go chat. But I’m totally an extroverted introvert – I love alone time, it recharges me, but these opportunities pushed me to manage my social energy and interactions better.

Contact Info:

• Address: Haykin Family Cider
  12001 E 33rd Ave, Unit D, Aurora, CO 80010
• Website: www.haykinfamilycider.com
• Phone: 720-242-7292
• Email: info@haykinfamilycider.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haykinfamilycider/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HaykinFamilyCider/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/haykincider

Image Credit:
Eric Lewandowski for the white background bottle shots

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