What’s got 12 tons of New Mexico apples, 3 stainless steel vats, a forklift, and a third Thursday MIX event this March 19th? If you guessed the ghost of John Irving and his industrial noise band–good try! But the answer is Santa Fe’s own Santa Sidra Hard Cider and its absolutely boss digs in the swanky warehouses on Camino Carlo Rey behind Furry’s Buick GMC.

You’ll get to rub your leg up against some hard cider vats, and check out the full production process put in to action by our bizMIX 2013 winner.

13 Pieces will arrange an auditory apple orchard in your mind, will you sample select ciders (and get a free drink courtesy of Rotary Santa Fe in exchange for filling out our survey) or belly up to the Kelly’s Liquor Barn bar.

Bring all five flavor receptors, because Chef Marc DeGiovanni is going to lay out some world class cuisine grub. How do basil-wrapped Thai meatballs strike your fancy? Hawaiian CHP sliders? Truffle infused mac ‘n’ cheese baguette bites?

If that ain’t your thing, you’ll just have to get by with “Wok” Choy skewers, caper and green peppercorn BeDevilled eggs and watermelon, Feta, mint kabobs. If you’re getting the sense that Chef Marc is a powerhouse, you would be correct, but rather than toil in a typical restaurant, he caters one-of-a-kind elaborate events and runs Delunchous, a company dedicated to upping the standards for school lunches in Santa Fe. In case your appetite is whetted, he’ll have his food truck on hand to polish off your palate.

We’ll be launching the 2015 bizMIX business plan competition on the 19th, so shake your brain for your best business ideas and come to the event planning to get a chance to talk to former winners and competitors, judges, mentors, etc. This is the year you tell your boss to shove it and finally start your dream business. Or you, know, handle the boss thing however you want, but if you’ve got big dreams, we’re aiming to award $50,000 in cash and resources, along with our fastrack business mentorship program and our record of empowering local businesses to succeed and thrive. There’s just one hitch–you’ve got to actually enter to win.

Entry forms will go live on the 19th!

This month’s eagle-eyed security is provided by Phoenix Security.

Design by Ethan Parrot and Photography will be done by Matthew Morrow.

As always, MIX is a private event and YOU and YOURS are invited to attend. Drinks purchased for you by Rotary Santa Fe in exchange for filling out our survey are first come first serve as are delicious food samples provide by Chef Marc DeGiovanni.

Cider House MIX Survey Results

How do you rate Santa Fe as a place to start a business?

Neutral | 42.3%
Pretty good | 26.9%
Excellent | 23.1%
Not so great | 7.7%
Terrible | 0%

True or False: A vibrant landscape for thriving small businesses is important enough to me to make the difference in choosing a place to live in the long-term.

Santa Fe is a genius place to start a business because...

Santa Fe is an idiotic place to start a business because...

What do you do for a living?

Why do you come to MIX?

To stay connected with what's happening in Santa Fe | 28.4%
I see my friends here | 20.3%
For the free drink, duh | 20.3%
I make professional connections | 17.6%
For the food | 12.2%
To get me some | 1.4%

How many MIX events have you attended?

How did you hear about this event?

Tell us your age bracket--it helps us!

20s15%
30s42%
40s19%
50s19%
60s0%
Other4%