Bivouac Ciderworks

What Bivouac Ciderworks does

Bivouac Ciderworks is a privately held, women-powered craft hard cider producer founded in January 2018 in North Park, San Diego, by CEO Lara Worm. The company operates two adjacent venues on 30th Street — the original Taproom & Restaurant (3986 30th Street, opened January 2018) featuring 24 rotating taps and a full-service "San Diego comfort food" menu, and the Adventure Lodge & General Store (3980 30th Street, opened March 2024), a 5,700 square-foot yurt-inspired cafe and tasting space with a 20-tap cider bar, curated retail market, and on-site production facility. Its core product line consists of four flagship ciders (San Diego Jam Mixed Berry, Albright Dry Pear, Savoy English Pub Style, Marlin Spike Pineapple Pear) joined by a steady cadence of rotating seasonal SKUs and a subscription cider club (Club Biv).

The underlying production process is small-batch craft brewing using juice concentrate primarily sourced from the Pacific Northwest, blended in-house at the North Park facility, yielding ciders with 6-6.9% ABV, 150-200 calories, and 10-20g carbohydrates that target health-conscious, gluten-free consumers; the March 2024 Adventure Lodge buildout quintupled production capacity. The technology stack is conventional commerce — Drizly and Craftshack for online DTC delivery, Tock for guided tasting reservations, TripleSeat for private event bookings — with no proprietary software or AI components.

Bivouac generates revenue through a hybrid direct-to-consumer + channel model. Streams include taproom and restaurant sales (with food items $8-$26, cider flights $16-$20, cocktails $13-$17, a $25/$40 bottomless cider special, and weekday happy hour pricing), packaged canned/bottled cider distributed through Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Total Wine & More, Bristol Farms, Lazy Acres, Sprouts, Vons, Mothers Market, Jensen's and Baron's Market across San Diego County, Orange County, Los Angeles, and Arizona (via Scout Distribution), online direct sales, private event hosting (50-120 guests), the recurring Club Biv membership program, and brand merchandise.

Name

Bivouac Ciderworks

Legal name

Bivouac Ciderworks

Website

https://bivouaccider.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bivouac Ciderworks is a privately held, women-powered craft hard cidery in North Park, San Diego, producing four flagship ciders and seasonal releases for active outdoor enthusiasts and craft beverage consumers, distributed across California and Arizona and sold through its taproom, restaurant, Adventure Lodge cafe, and retail partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Hard Cider

NAICS

Wineries (312130), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (44532)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Cider & Perry Producers & Brands (CRADAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cideries & Meadery Tasting Rooms (THAFALAI)

Keywords

• Craft hard cider
• Craft beverage production
• Taproom and restaurant
• Packaged cider wholesale
• Women-owned cidery

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Taproom & Restaurant Sales: Full-service restaurant and taproom with 24 rotating taps featuring core cider styles, small-batch favorites, and experimental flavors. Also offers local craft beer, wine, and craft cocktails. Food menu includes 'San Diego comfort food' with items priced $8-$26.
2. Packaged Cider Retail: Canned and bottled cider sold through retail partners including Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Total Wine & More, Bristol Farms, Lazy Acres, Sprouts Farmers Market, and others. Available in San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles, and Arizona.
3. Online Sales: Cider sold through online platforms including Drizly and Craftshack for direct-to-consumer delivery
4. Club Biv Membership: Exclusive membership program offering benefits to cider enthusiasts
5. Private Events: Adventure Lodge available for private events, tastings & tours, and large-party reservations. Capacity 50-120 guests with pricing varying by function type, day, time, and menu choices.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bivouac Ciderworks produces hand-crafted, naturally gluten-free hard ciders in core and rotating seasonal flavors, blended from premium bittersweet cider apples and natural fruit sourced from California and the Pacific Northwest. The company sells these ciders directly through two North Park, San Diego venues — the Taproom & Restaurant (24 taps) and the Adventure Lodge & General Store (20 taps, cafe, retail market) — alongside packaged wholesale to retail grocers and specialty stores across Southern California and Arizona.

Product overview

Bivouac Ciderworks is a women-powered craft hard cider company operating a multi-concept portfolio centered on hand-crafted, naturally gluten-free hard ciders. The core product line consists of four flagship ciders: San Diego Jam Mixed Berry, Albright Dry Pear, Savoy English Pub Style, and Marlin Spike Pineapple Pear. These are complemented by rotating seasonal releases (OMG Orange Mango Guava, Cat's Paw Pumpkin Spice, and rotating flavors like Bimini Twist Peach Spritz, Scenic Route Pomegranate Sage Sea Salt, Spiced Cranberry Apple, and Summit Winter Cherry). The company operates two physical locations in North Park, San Diego: the original Taproom & Restaurant (24 rotating taps) and the Adventure Lodge & General Store (opened March 2024, featuring 20 taps, café, guided tastings, and retail market). Additional offerings include the Guided Cider Tasting Experience, Club Biv membership program, private event hosting, and cider flights.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• San Diego Jam Mixed Berry Cider Core hard cider featuring mixed berry flavor, hand-crafted in San Diego with a West Coast adventure theme; naturally gluten-free.
• Albright Dry Pear Cider Core pear cider with a dry finish, naturally gluten-free, made with premium bittersweet cider apples sourced from California and Pacific Northwest.
• Savoy English Pub Style Cider Core dry apple cider styled after traditional English pub ciders, hand-crafted in San Diego.
• Marlin Spike Pineapple Pear Cider Core pineapple and pear flavored hard cider; the sweetest in the core lineup.
• OMG Orange Mango Guava Cider Seasonal hard cider featuring orange, mango, and guava flavors, launched as a new seasonal release.
• Cat's Paw Pumpkin Spice Cider Limited edition seasonal cider with pumpkin and fall spices including cinnamon, cloves, and star anise.
• Bivouac Taproom & Restaurant North Park venue at 3986 30th Street featuring 24 rotating taps of core and seasonal ciders, a full-service restaurant serving 'San Diego comfort food,' and local craft beer, wine, and cocktails. Open Wed–Sun.
• Adventure Lodge & General Store Yurt-inspired 5,700 sq ft cafe and tasting space at 3980 30th Street with 20 cider taps, guided cider tasting experiences, retail market with local and sustainable products, and on-site production facility. Offers pastries, light bites, and curated global ciders.
• Club Biv Cider Club Membership Recurring membership program offering exclusive perks, merchandise (e.g., $40 Super Fan Gift Pack with t-shirt or hat, 4-pack of preferred cider, and two branded glasses or water bottle; perceived $50 value), and access to cider releases for dedicated Bivouac fans.
• Private Event Hosting at Adventure Lodge Event venue rental at Adventure Lodge accommodating 50–120 guests for private events including birthday parties, weddings, bachelorette parties, and corporate events; bookings managed via TripleSeat with pricing varying by function type, day, time, and menu choices.
• Guided Cider Tasting Experience San Diego's only guided cider tasting led by a cider expert, featuring pours from 20 rotating taps including Bivouac and international ciders with beer and wine options; reservations booked through Tock.
• Packaged Cider Wholesale Distribution Distribution of canned and bottled Bivouac cider to retail grocery and specialty partners including Trader Joe's, Whole Foods Market, Total Wine & More, Bristol Farms, Lazy Acres, Sprouts Farmers Market, Mothers Market, Jensens, Barons Market, Vons, and others across San Diego County, Orange County, Los Angeles, and Arizona.

Quantifiable outcome

• Named Top 20 Best New San Diego Restaurants of 2024 by SD Magazine
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Scout DistributioncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2022Distribution partnership to expand availability to Arizona territory
• Junior League San DiegocoreOthersCommunity partnership supporting organizations making the world a better place through local San Diego initiatives
• Free to ThrivecoreOthersCommunity partnership supporting survivor empowerment and resources
• Make-A-WishcoreOthersCharitable partnership granting wishes for children with critical illnesses
• Home StartcoreOthersCommunity partnership supporting child abuse prevention and family strengthening
• Outdoor OutreachcoreOthersPartnership connecting youth with outdoor experiences and adventures
• Venture Out ProjectcoreOthersPartnership supporting LGBTQ+ individuals in outdoor recreation
• Human Rights CampaigncoreOthersPartnership supporting LGBTQ+ rights and equality initiatives
• One Earth RecyclingminorOthersPartnership supporting sustainability through recycling initiatives
• I Love a Clean San DiegominorOthersPartnership supporting environmental cleanup and conservation
• SD Community Power - Power100 ChampionminorOthersRecognition as community sustainability champion

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Two Towns Ciderhouse: Oregon craft cider producer with broad packaged retail distribution and a taproom, comparable to Bivouac's craft-cider positioning and West Coast retail expansion.
• Stem Cider: Denver-based craft hard cidery combining a flagship taproom/restaurant with packaged retail distribution, directly comparable to Bivouac's DTC + multi-channel wholesale model.
• Vermont Cider Company: Producer of craft ciders (Woodchuck, WOW, Citizen Cider) sold through national retail and on-premise channels; comparable product portfolio and distribution model to Bivouac.
• Original Sin: Craft hard cider brand distributed nationally with a focus on lower-sugar, dry styles — a direct product-formulation peer to Bivouac's better-for-you cider positioning.
• Seattle Cider Company: Pacific Northwest craft cider producer with multiple taproom locations and packaged retail SKUs, comparable to Bivouac in scale, geography-adjacent footprint, and DTC-plus-retail model.

Broad incumbents

• Stone Brewing: Iconic San Diego craft brewery with a large-scale taproom/restaurant destination model; competes with Bivouac for on-premise traffic in the same local market.
• Angry Orchard: Largest U.S. hard cider brand owned by Boston Beer Company; competes with Bivouac for shelf space and tap handles at the same retail and on-premise accounts at vastly greater scale.
• BrewDog: Global craft brewery with a taproom + restaurant + hotel destination model; a comparable hospitality-led scaling template even though Bivouac operates in cider.

Regional players

• Modern Times Beer: San Diego craft brewery with destination taproom and food program; directly comparable to Bivouac at the hospitality venue level though operating in beer rather than cider.

Emerging players

• 101 Cider House: West Coast craft cidery blending taproom experience with retail distribution; an emerging smaller-scale peer with overlapping craft-cider positioning and West Coast geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/bivouaccider
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bivouac-ciderworks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bivouac Ciderworks