Ninkasi’s Great Frontier Holdings acquires Washington Cidery, and Seltzer-maker
The Great Frontier Beverage holdings collective headquartered out of Eugene, Oregon’s Ninkasi Brewing has added two more acquisitions to the growing family which already included Ashland Hard Seltzer, Ecliptic Brewing, and the aforementioned Ninkasi Brewing.
Sometime in 2025 GFB quietly acquired Washington’s Incline Cider, a popular cider brand known for their high octane Imperial Ciders and their taproom in Tacoma. The acquisition was never publicized or commented upon, perhaps because of the lawsuit it set off with Schilling Cider.
According to Seattle, Washington-based Schilling Cider, they had been contracted to both create and produce Incline Cider’s canned products. In a press release dated 9/1/25 Schilling Cider claimed “Under a mutual agreement, Schilling’s recipes were protected, with ownership reverting to Schilling if production moved elsewhere. In June 2025, Incline announced plans to shift production to a competitor, prompting Schilling to take legal action to safeguard its intellectual property.”
Incline Cider was founded by Jordan Zehner and his father Chris Zehner in 2015. “At the time, I was living in Arizona and Chris was in Tahoe (Incline Village), which inspired our name. I had been a home cidermaker for years, and given Chris and I's shared professional backgrounds in wine and spirit sales, we decided to combine our skills and give Incline a go. That leap of faith brough us both to Washington to formally launch the company,” Jordan told the New School.
A court granted Schilling Cider a preliminary injunction against Incline Cider to halt production of the recipes in-dispute while the lawsuit is still pending a settlement. Jordan Zehner couldn’t comment on the pending litigation, but did share a little about how Incline Cider ended up with GFB and switching their cider production to Ninkasi Brewing in Eugene, Oregon.
“Partnering with Great Frontier provides Incline Cider with the strategic runway and creative freedom to scale over the next decade,” says Jordan Zehner. “We believe there is immense strength in a unified craft community. By joining a collective of diverse brands and their founders, we've created a collaborative environment where shared knowledge and resources help accelerate our mutual growth.”
Meanwhile Schilling Cider is not waiting on the outcome of the legal dispute and has already spun off the same cider flavors they once made for Incline into a new brand called Starfall Cider with a similar look to Incline’s cans.
Great Frontier Beverage (GFB) acquisition of Seattle, Washington-based San Juan Seltzer seems to be much more celebratory. On January 7th, 2026, San Juan Beverage Company announced they would be joining GFB to strengthen their position as the #1 craft seltzer in the northwest.
Founded in 2018 by Katy Enger, San Juan Seltzer quickly established itself as a premier craft hard seltzer brand with signature flavors such as Huckleberry, Rainier Cherry, and Fuji Apple. In just seven years, the company has grown into a regional leader, now sold across six states.
With industry-wide declines in alcohol sales over the past year, San Juan sought a strategic partner to help accelerate its growth. That partner emerged in the form of the Great Frontier Collective, which successfully brought together Ninkasi Brewing, Incline Cider, and Ecliptic Brewing to form one of the largest craft beverage producers in the PNW.
"Joining Great Frontier allows us to bring San Juan's unique Northwest flavors to more consumers than ever before," said Ron Lloyd, CEO of San Juan Beverage Company. "We're excited to collaborate with other pioneering brands and continue to lead the craft hard seltzer movement alongside our distributors and customer partners."
"San Juan Beverage Company brings a dynamic new partnership to our portfolio," said Nikos Ridge, Co-founder of Ninkasi Brewery. "Their success in craft seltzer complements our beer and cider offerings, and together we'll deliver even more variety and quality to customers across the region."
The addition of San Juan Beverage Company strengthens Great Frontier's portfolio, diversifying its offerings across beer, cider, and seltzer. The collective's shared resources, distribution networks, and marketing reach are expected to accelerate San Juan's growth and expand its footprint beyond the Pacific Northwest.
About San Juan Beverage Company
San Juan Beverage Company was founded in 2018 in Seattle, WA, by Katy Enger. Known for its bold Northwest-inspired flavors such as Huckleberry and Fuji Apple, San Juan has quickly become the #1 craft seltzer brand in the region, now available across six states.
About Great Frontier Collective of Brands
The Great Frontier Collective of Brands brings together leading craft beverage producers including Ninkasi Brewing, Incline Cider, and Ecliptic Brewing. With a shared commitment to quality, innovation, and community, Great Frontier has become one of the largest craft beverage producers in the Pacific Northwest.