The Cider Man: Joel Malone

02.21.2018

Less than a year after opening his Dallas cidery, Joel Malone BS’08, MS’11, MBA’11 saw an opportunity for expansion.

The 28-year-old Dallas native and his wife, Laura, rented a small storefront in the city’s Bishop Arts District in 2014, where they opened Bishop Cider Co.

The idea was an immediate hit, as 1,600 people showed up to the cidery’s grand opening that was held in a 704-square-foot space.

In the weeks that followed, crowds continued to pour in to try the locally crafted brew made from pressed apples. After searching for more space, the owners found a 10,704-square-foot facility in the Design District on Irving Boulevard and opened the new facility in October 2015 as the production site for all of Bishop’s ciders.

High interest is what all young entrepreneurs like to see, Joel said, crediting his education for preparing him to succeed.

“A (UT Dallas) degree equips you to learn how to position a business, how to compete, how to create a business plan and how to roll with the punches as that business plan falls through and changes,” he said. “It teaches you how to analyze and how to think through things.”

 
This story originally appeared in the Alumni Notes section of the fall 2016 UT Dallas Magazine.