A11
B USINESS
THE BULLETIN • TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 2021
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BY DAVID KOENIG
The Associated Press
Ryan Brennecke/Bulletin photos
A section of the newly remodeled bar at Cascade Lakes Brewing Co., seen on Thursday.
New beer,
new digs
BY SUZANNE ROIG • The Bulletin
Microsoft to bring
workers back to HQ
Microsoft will begin
bringing workers back
to its suburban Seattle
global headquarters on
March 29 as the tech gi-
ant starts to reopen more
facilities it largely shut-
tered during the corona-
virus pandemic.
In a post Monday on
the company’s corporate
blog, Executive Vice Pres-
ident Kurt DelBene said
Microsoft has been mon-
itoring local health data
and decided it can bring
more employees back to
its Redmond, Washing-
ton, campus.
DelBene said workers
will have the choice to
return to headquarters,
continue working re-
motely or do a combina-
tion of both.
More than 50,000 peo-
ple work at the compa-
ny’s headquarters cam-
pus in Redmond, 15 miles
east of Seattle.
C
U.S. home sales
fall; prices rise
Andy Rhine, general manager at Cascade Lakes Brewing Co., assembles a set of chairs to place around
the newly installed fire pit while preparing to reopen the brewery.
Sales of previously
occupied U.S. homes
slowed last month as ris-
ing prices and a dearth of
homes for sale kept some
would-be buyers on the
sidelines.
The National Associa-
tion of Realtors said Mon-
day that existing homes
sales in February fell 6.6%
from January to a season-
ally-adjusted rate of 6.22
million annualized units.
Sales were up 9.1% from
February last year, before
the pandemic upended
the economy and tempo-
rarily held up home sales
last spring.
Severe winter weather
across much of the U.S.
was likely a factor in the
slowdown, which marked
the first monthly sales
decline in two months.
However, a recent rise in
mortgage rates was not,
as February sales largely
reflect contracts signed
weeks before the up-
tick in rates. The report
showed that the U.S.
median home price was
$313,000 in February, up
15.8% from a year earlier.
— Bulletin wire reports
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Industries
push U.S. to
ease travel
restrictions
CASCADE LAKES BREWING CO.
Seattle bakery
falls to pandemic
Seattle’s century-old
landmark Remo Borrac-
chini’s Bakery is closing,
another business ravaged
by the pandemic.
The family bakery
in south Seattle was
known for its birthday
and wedding cakes and
announced Saturday on
Facebook that it is closing
for good after 100 years
in business.
The local icon said it
was “in the party busi-
ness,” which has been
devastated by the year-
long stay-at-home orders.
Within three hours, there
were nearly 1,000 com-
ments on the announce-
ment.
“(W)e are in the party
business. The problem
with that is no one has
been gathering over this
past year to have those
parties. Needless to say,
it was devastating to our
business. After consid-
ering our options, we’ve
made a very difficult deci-
sion to remain closed per-
manently,” the announce-
ment said.
The beloved bakery
was featured in the chil-
dren’s book “A Ticket to
the Pennant: A Tale of
Baseball in Seattle,” by
Mark Holtzen, which was
set in 1955 in Seattle.
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ascade Lakes Brewing Co. hadn’t changed its look much since 2004.
It had the same logo. Largely the same beer options. And the same vibe at
its Chandler Avenue pub in southwest Bend.
Airlines and other tourism-related businesses are
pushing the White House to draw up a plan in the
next five weeks to boost international travel and
eliminate restrictions that were imposed early in the
pandemic.
More than two dozen groups made their request
in a letter to the White House on Monday.
They want people who have been vaccinated
against COVID-19 to be exempt from testing require-
ments before entering the United States. They also
want the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preven-
tion to say that vaccinated people can travel safely.
The groups say those and other steps will speed
up the recovery of the travel and airline industries,
which have been devastated by a plunge in travel
during the pandemic.
U.S. air travel is already picking up. More than
1 million people have passed through U.S. airport
checkpoints each of the last 11 days, with Sunday’s
total topping more than 1.5 million for the first time
in more than a year. Passenger traffic is still below
2019 levels, however.
The organizations set a May 1 target for the gov-
ernment “to partner with us” on a plan to rescind
year-old restrictions on international travel.
The groups cited the recent decline in reported
new cases, hospitalizations and deaths related to
COVID-19 in the United States.
“The time to plan for and chart a defined road-
map to reopen international travel is now,” they
wrote in a letter to White House virus-response co-
ordinator Jeffrey Zients.
The White House did not comment but referred
to remarks by CDC Director Rochelle Walensky on
Monday. Walensky said the health agency is working
on new guidance for people who are vaccinated, but
raised concern about recent increases in new reported
cases of coronavirus in many European countries.
Maker of Aplets &
Cotlets candy to
close after 101 years
BY SIERRA DAWN
MCCLAIN
Capital Press
When the governor issued her
second shut down order in No-
vember to contain the spread of
the COVID-19 virus, Andy Rhine
and his family, who purchased the
brewery in 2018, used the down-
time to revamp, relaunch and re-
model the brewery. They reopened
on Friday.
The brewery now sports a more
modern remodeled look, a re-
vamped menu and different beer
options. Rhine would not disclose
how much was invested in the re-
branding of the brew pub.
Craft breweries often will re-
brand or create new beers. Smaller
brewing systems allow for such
innovation, and using the disrup-
tion caused by the pandemic as a
positive in their business is some-
thing that other brewers have done
as well, said Bart Watson, Brewers
Association chief economist. Craft
breweries that have the financial
resources are using this disruption
from the pandemic to reinvest and
reinvent, said Watson, whose asso-
ciation is based in Colorado.
“Brand and concept refreshes
are a constant in the beer busi-
ness,” Watson said. “Without hav-
ing hard stats, I think we’re seeing
a bit more right now, but some
might be due to increasing com-
petitiveness.”
In 2019, the most current year
data are available, there were 8,386
craft brewers nationwide, com-
pared with 1,653 craft brewers in
2009 , according to the Brewers As-
sociation. In Oregon, there were
311 craft breweries in 2019, com-
pared with 124 in 2011 , according
to data provided by the Brewers
Association.
Craft beer production grew
3.6% in 2019 , but beer produc-
tion overall declined 1.6% as many
found a plethora of alcohol op-
tions competing in the arena.
At Cascade Lakes, Rhine said,
“We got excited by the opportu-
nity. We elevated the look. The
remodel is more of a modern
Aspen-ski design and feel. We
wanted to get back on the radar of
our customers.”
There also are more outdoor fire
pits and outdoor seating, Rhine
said. The ski gondola is still there,
too.
With the help of Ryan
Schmiege , a former assistant brew-
master at Deschutes Brewery, Cas-
cade Lakes worked to elevate the
quality and diversification of the
beer. The brewery also is expand-
ing its offerings to include barrel-
aged beers, cider and hard seltzer,
said Rhine.
The Rhine family purchased
the brewery from Rick Orazetti
and Doug and Ron Kutella. Chris
Justema, who was part of the pre-
vious ownership, was initially re-
tained as a shareholder of the com-
pany, Rhine said. The company
now, however, is solely owned by
the family.
A Bend High School graduate,
Rhine said the entire family is in-
volved and many are moving back
to Bend.
Cascade Lakes Brewing Co. is
among the oldest Central Oregon
breweries, having been founded in
Redmond in 1994. The company
operates two brewpubs, one in
Bend and another in Redmond. Its
beer is brewed in a 25-barrel sys-
tem in Redmond.
Among the big changes in the
beer-making arena is the growth
of new beers that Cascade Lakes is
now producing, Rhine said. Typ-
ically it would make three to five
new beers, but now it’s more than
25 , Rhine said. Executive chef Jeff
Kelly was hired and has revamped
the menu, Rhine said.
The brewery owners wanted
to create a new memorable expe-
rience from the beer to the pub’s
ambiance.
“We wanted to celebrate Cen-
tral Oregon,” Rhine said. “So, now
you’ll see a Cascade Lakes mural
on the wall.”
Reporter: 541-633-2117,
sroig@bendbulletin.com
CASHMERE, Wash.
— After more than 100
years in business, Lib-
erty Orchards Co., the
Washington state maker
of Aplets & Cotlets fruit
candies, has announced
it will permanently close
June 1.
Company president
Greg Taylor, 72, grandson
of Liberty Orchards co-
founder Armen Tertsa-
gian, said the family busi-
ness has been seeking a
buyer for several years
with no luck. Taylor,
who’s run the company
43 years, said he’s “very,
very ready” to retire and
the younger generations
of the family are not inter-
ested in keeping the oper-
ation going.
“It’s bittersweet, but
definitely more sweet
than bitter. Obviously,
we’re disappointed it can’t
continue, but it’s time for
us all to move on,” Taylor
told the Capital Press on
Friday. “We’re so appre-
ciative of all those who
have supported our com-
pany.”
Liberty Orchards,
founded in 1920, will
continue to seek a buyer
for its assets.
Through the decades,
the company has bought
ingredients — concen-
trates, purees and freeze-
dried fruit — from pro-
cessors worldwide. Apple
concentrates were mainly
sourced from Washing-
ton state apples.
The company’s closure
Submitted photo
will impact around 55
full-time employees.
“We’re proud to have
provided employment
for thousands of families
over the past more than
100 years,” said Taylor.
The closure will mean
people can no longer buy
Aplets & Cotlets candies
after this June.
When the company
released news of its im-
pending closure, the
community of Cash-
mere, Washington, near
Wenatchee, was shaken.
“Liberty Orchards is
part of Cashmere’s iden-
tity,” Cashmere’s mayor,
Jim Fletcher, told Eater
Seattle, a food publica-
tion.
In a statement, the
Cashmere Chamber of
Commerce said that Lib-
erty Orchards has made
Cashmere “a traveler
destination.”
On Aplets & Cotlets’
Facebook announce-
ment about closing,
hundreds of people
commented, many call-
ing the upcoming clo-
sure “heartbreaking”
and “sad.” Many shared
memories about touring
the factory.