If you’ve been searching for a six-pack of Ace Cider only to run into empty shelves at your local grocery store, you’re definitely not the only one. There’s been a lot of chatter the past year about what’s going on with this longtime California cider brand. Is Ace Cider shutting down for good—or is it just in for a rough patch? Let’s get into the full story.
Recent Setbacks Put Ace Cider in the Spotlight
For pretty much all of 2024, Ace Cider’s fans were left in the dark. Regulars noticed their favorites disappearing, social media got loud, and even local bars couldn’t seem to get their hands on any product. It looked pretty bleak from the outside.
All of this confusion traces back to larger financial trouble with Ace Cider’s parent company. But the backstory has some twists—and a few unexpected turns—worth knowing.
How Ace Cider Landed in Bankruptcy Limbo
Ace Cider, which has been around since the 1990s, wasn’t independently owned for the past several years. It got scooped up in a sale to Vintage Wine Estates (VWE), a bigger wine-and-beverage group. The hope was probably to give Ace the backing to grow. But things started falling apart at VWE’s end.
In early 2024, Vintage Wine Estates hit a wall with serious financial troubles, eventually filing for bankruptcy. This sent ripples through everything they owned—including Ace Cider. Almost overnight, production came to a screeching halt. Workers were laid off. Longtime distributors started telling customers they couldn’t get deliveries, leaving store shelves bare.
You get the picture. For people in Northern California, Ace Cider is almost a hometown staple. Seeing it vanish—at least from shelves—led some to assume the whole business might be done.
Empty Shelves, Uncertain Future
Plenty of folks tried to get the bottom of things. Calls and emails to the cidery went unanswered for a while. Even core distributors and bar owners reported getting very little information.
Between March and June 2024, there just wasn’t much Ace Cider anywhere for regular buyers. Uncertainty bred rumors: Was Ace Cider going away forever? Was there a chance of a new owner stepping in? People kept speculating, but there was no clear signal from the brand.
The Auction That Changed Everything
Here’s where things took a left turn. During the bankruptcy process, the big parent company’s various brands—including Ace Cider—went up for sale. People wondered if the House family, who originally founded Ace Cider, would somehow swoop in and buy it back. That didn’t quite happen.
Instead, the highest bid at auction came from the Lipton family—a name more familiar in the world of Budweiser distribution than hard cider. The Liptons are a third-generation beer-distribution family, and they clearly saw something salvageable in Ace Cider’s reputation.
Even though the House family didn’t win the auction, founder Jeffery House didn’t walk away. He ended up joining the new management in an advisory role—think of it as helping them learn the ropes, retain some of the brand’s identity, and get the product right.
Meet the New Owners: The Lipton Sisters
So what do the new owners actually want with Ace Cider? The Lipton sisters, who now lead the family business, have been pretty outspoken. They don’t plan to move production out of Sebastopol, California. For those local to the area, that’s a good sign—it means Ace Cider still has roots in its longtime home.
They also made it clear that they aren’t interested in watering down the product or pushing it in a completely new direction. Instead, their plans are to restore Ace’s presence in stores, bring back top-selling flavors, and patch up relationships with distributors and longtime fans.
The Role of the Founder in the Next Chapter
While Ace Cider’s original founder, Jeffery House, didn’t get control of his old brand back, he’s now working alongside the new bosses. His role is more “chief cider whisperer” than hands-on CEO, but he brings decades of experience and some important relationships.
Most fans just want to know that someone who remembers why this cider worked in the first place is still around. Jeffery can offer guidance so the new owners don’t lose what made Ace Cider popular to begin with—not to mention recipes and production tricks you just can’t hand off on paper.
Production Starts Up Again in Sebastopol
After a bumpy first half of 2024, the Liptons moved quickly to restart operations. They rehired some of the laid-off team, focused on getting core products back into distribution, and started communicating more openly with fans and trade partners.
By early 2025, Ace Cider’s production line in Sebastopol was humming again. While not every flavor or format returned overnight, the fact that new batches were rolling out was a huge relief for fans. Bars, grocers, and even online stores started getting their shipments once again.
Restoring the Brand’s Core Products and Identity
One thing fans especially asked about: Would seasonal specials like ACE Pumpkin ever come back? The answer, according to the new management, is yes—but not instantly. Because production was paused for months and back orders built up, some seasonal ciders needed extra time.
You can expect ACE Pumpkin and other favorites to appear in fall 2025—the first new batch since the 2024 gap. That’s evidence the owners want to stay true to what loyal drinkers love, not just churn out a generic product under the old label.
The Lipton sisters have also talked about reintroducing other classic flavors, keeping the lineup feeling familiar but fresh.
The Road to Winning Back Customers
Just because production started again doesn’t mean everything is back to normal. Ace Cider is facing an uphill battle to regain shelf space in grocery stores and bars that had to pivot to other brands. Distributors who were left hanging during the bankruptcy might need some convincing to bring Ace back in big numbers.
So, what’s the strategy? First, consistent, timely releases. No one wants to invest in a product that might vanish again. Second, direct outreach to old accounts, promising better communication and a more reliable supply chain. The company is also tweaking its marketing—reminding fans of its California roots, quirky flavors, and legacy.
If you’re curious about how brands ride out financial storms and get back on their feet, stories like Ace Cider’s are worth following. The beverage industry is full of wild swings, so a company bouncing back after ownership drama isn’t totally unheard of, but it’s far from guaranteed. For some behind-the-scenes insights on these kinds of transitions, see what’s trending on Sera Business.
Renewed Production, New Risks, and a Familiar Taste
Of course, it’s not all smooth sailing from here. Financial challenges can pop up again if the economy wobbles, or if consumers don’t return as quickly as expected. Ace Cider was never the biggest brand in hard cider, but it did have dedicated fans and a strong regional following.
If you live in California or a state where Ace Cider was a grocery shelf regular, you’ll probably start to notice it again soon—maybe you already have. Feedback from early shipments in 2025 has been encouraging, with recognizable taste and quality holding steady. That comes not just from the resources of the new owners but the hands-on advice of the original founder.
Where Ace Cider Goes From Here
The story of Ace Cider right now isn’t about spectacular rebirth or headline-grabbing reinvention; it’s about putting the pieces back together. Production is back in Sebastopol. The classic styles and seasonal releases are being reintroduced, and workers who lost their jobs during the bankruptcy are slowly returning as demand rises.
The new owners seem serious about treating Ace Cider as a brand with a community behind it—not just a business to flip or milk for quick profits. Fans who have followed along through these rough months feel reassured that the product isn’t being shipped off to some remote factory. The brand still feels like “home.”
The Bottom Line: Ace Cider Is Here to Stay (For Now)
If you hear people say Ace Cider is out of business, you can let them know that’s not the case. The brand did have a scary brush with bankruptcy, and there was a long stretch when products just weren’t on shelves. But as of spring 2025, Ace Cider is very much alive—brewing cider, sending it out to stores, and making plans for the rest of the year.
Is every challenge behind them? Not quite. There’s always a risk when a brand changes hands, especially after a messy transition. But as long as the new owners stick with the Sebastopol operation and take care to listen to fans, Ace Cider has a shot at rebuilding trust and holding its spot among America’s most popular craft ciders.
For now, you can count on spotting Ace in stores again. Maybe next time you’re grabbing drinks for a weekend get-together, their familiar bottles will be back in the mix—exactly where a California classic belongs.