Meet the Team

Jon (JT) started working with Slopeswell Cider Company in 2016. At the time, he lived just a few blocks away from the taproom, so skipping down the road for a few ciders was both tempting and convenient. After seeing him so frequently, we offered him a job behind the bar and he accepted with little hesitation. After a few years pouring beer and cider for loyal customers, his role evolved into wholesale assistance, and he became an owner in 2020. When not at the taproom, you can catch him hanging with his family or, most likely, standing in the river, swinging flies for steelhead.

Kasey was born and raised in the Columbia River Gorge.  He is a microbiology junky, who grew up wanting to work in Sports Medicine.  After a few years at Boise State and Oregon State, he decided that some of the people in the fermentation science programs were having a bit more fun. After one exploratory class he was hooked, and so began his brewing journey. After college, Kasey attended the Siebel Institute of Technology to continue his education and become a master at authentic lagers.

Kasey spent time at Ninkasi Brewing and a young brewery in Oregon before a three-year position as Head Brewer of Ferment Brewing Company in Hood River. While there he assisted in building a kombucha brand and brewery from the ground up. He has a side career in brewery consulting which has taken him to beautiful places throughout the country. Like many brewers, he always wanted to be his own boss and focus on the beers he is most passionate about lagers!

Outside of doing beer things, you can find Kasey with his pups, Friday and Sophie, on a beach, trampling around in the woods, crushing bass on the Columbia, barbecuing, building stuff, or catching a Packers or Beavers game.

Ellen grew up in the Columbia Gorge, before heading to college at WSU. She started working at the only local brewery in Pullman and was immediately hooked. After graduating, she traveled the world as a flight attendant for several years, tasting the local beers wherever she went. Eventually, she realized craft beer wasn't just a passion, but could also be a career. Ellen got back into the brewing industry in Dallas, where she helped open a local craft taproom and became a manager at one of the largest craft breweries in north Texas. She is currently studying to become a Certified Cicerone, which has been a long-time dream. Ellen recently moved back to The Dalles and took on the Taproom Manager position at Working Hands Fermentation, where she is developing her pallet and knowledge of cider as well.