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Schilling Cider started using aluminum cans before refrigerated aluminum cans for craft alcohol. “In 2013, people are much more into cider and other spirits in bottles,” says Colin Schilling, BA’10, MBA’12.
“No cider maker uses cans. From a business perspective, this seems like an odd decision,” said Schilling, CEO of Schilling Cider. In 2012, he co-founded the company with Mark Kornei, BA’11, MBA’12, who is CFO at a Seattle-based cider maker.
Going by the cool factor, however, never took into account the plans the duo had when they launched their business. Fresh out of the Atkinson Willamette Graduate School of Management, Schilling and Kornei are passionate about becoming agents of change for social and environmental good in the beverage industry.
And because of the sustainability-based education they received to earn their MBA from Atkinson, these founders are well equipped to achieve their goals.
“In 2012, we started talking about starting a business, in February 2013 we received a license for cider and the following April we sold our first cans,” says Schilling.
Schilling credits his education from the Atkinson MBA program as directly fueling his ability to discover, grow, and continue to lead his company. “Learning from books is fine, but it only gets you so far. Atkinson really brings everything to the experiential side of things,” he says.
Nine years since founding the company, Schilling, Kornei and Atkinson’s third classmate, Ian Townson, MBA’12, COO Schilling, have made an impressive mark. The 75-member company, with tasting rooms in Seattle and Portland and a nationwide distribution reach, is growing at a 60 percent rate.
Colin Schilling, however, is not resting. In fact, he’s still focused on aluminum cans and making sure they remain a reusable resource. Bucking the trend for labeling aluminum cans with custom printed sleeves and stickers, Schilling had purchased equipment that would allow companies to self-print their own cans.
“We are trying to educate drink producers and other consumers about the toxicity and unsustainability of labeling cans with plastic sleeves and stickers. Printed cans are infinitely recyclable, and cans with stickers cannot be recycled,” said Schilling.
Social and environmental innovation as a basic principle requires diligent and relentless attention to detail to drive any organization.
“Schilling’s case demonstrates that adopting an ethics built around sustainability and using it as a strategic compass for both business and the environment,” said Elliot Maltz, professor emeritus marketing at Atkinson.
“A properly implemented strategy can create a long-term competitive advantage and motivate others in the industry to adopt more sustainable practices,” says Maltz.
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