Business Matters

Story by Becky Barrett

Some family businesses have a wealth of history going back generations where practices and values get handed down.

So it’s remarkable that West Linn’s Ale and Cider House proprietor, Joonees “JC” Chay, came from high tech. The family didn’t know anything about rehabilitating a condemned building and had never grown apples, made cider or brewed beer.

While 7Bev Corporation’s endeavors may defy a typical progression, it has been profitable since day one. In just six years, the family’s Ale and Cider House has become a community hub and gathering place and is the winner for Family Harmony in Oregon State University’s Center for Family Enterprise’s 2024 Excellence in Family Business Awards.

Chay, who founded the business, worked in the semiconductor industry and was doing real estate development in 2015 when a tenant destroyed the inside of one of his buildings. 

When the city informed him they intended to condemn the building, Chay fainted.

“I didn’t know what to do,” Chay said. 

He hired architects and each one told him it was hopeless. 

“That’s how terrible shape this was in,” he said, while sittingin the now charming venue.  

Chay was determined to persevere. He found a structural engineer with a vision for how the building  could be fixed, although the building was beyond remodeling.

“We basically rebuilt the whole place,” he said.

Chay became a hobby architect and was involved with the design from the start. 

“I used up every savings I had at that time,” he says. “It was really crazy. It was either live or die. So, we just made it happen.”

Chay’s youngest son, Tyler, helped in the beginning but has since left the family business. His oldest son, Toney, ’15, left his job with an East Coast construction company and joined in time to help finish the building. 

The space had previously been rented to craft beer and cider businesses.

“It seemed like a fun business to get in,” Chay said. “I decided I would check it out.”

In the beginning, 7Bev was an exclusive distributor exporting local cider to Korea, Japan and China. But pricing was competitive, and the project proved too ambitious. 

Now, the pivot to start a manufacturing and production facility is paying off. 

The family’s Queen Orchard brand name is a nod to cider’s British origins. The business is expanding and includes a 65-acre farm with 7,000 apple trees, and a new manufacturing facility is underway. The plan is to grow their own apples to produce cider and wine and expand to other beverages. 

Toney Chay, general manager of the Ale and Cider House, studied construction engineering management and was a student-athlete in wrestling at Oregon State. When he was competing, he worked his way up varsity.

“I put myself in the position to get better every day,” Toney said. “That’s the same thing I do here.”

Although his degree was useful during construction, he’s taught himself how to make cider, brew beer and grow apples, bolstered by his family’s confidence. 

“I never planted a single plant before this and they’re like, ‘Let’s build an orchard,’” Toney recalled. 

He researched grafting techniques and which heritage varieties produce the best cider. He dug thousands of holes and planted the orchard. Then, with no experience, he built the cidery with a cooling system and fermentation tanks. 

“My biggest positive trait is that I can solve problems. Whatever is in front of me, I’m really good at researching it, figuring it out, hands-on making stuff,” he said. “I am very confident.”

He tells himself that if someone else can do it, he can do it just as well. The key is to approach his work like it is a hobby. 

“I love making cider. I love working out in the trees, growing apples. I don’t have to be confined to a desk,” he said. 

It’s also rewarding when people come to the Ale and Cider House because they love his cider. 

“I’m really proud of what we’ve created,” Toney said. 

Annette Chay, JC’s wife and mom to Tyler and Toney, runs the Ale and Cider House with a flourish. She’s responsible for the original ornate décor and creating an atmosphere that’s been described as West Linn’s living room. 

“Being a gathering place for the community means everybody within the town has somewhere to go. And this is it. This is the place,” Annette said. 

The instant success of 7Bev and its companies comes from the Chay family’s shared desire to work together and control their destiny. 

“We are here because we have a common goal. You cannot really be doing this for money,” Chay said. “There’s a hope of making something fun and great that I can pass to my generations to come.”