JILL MCPHERSON

Contributed by: Kelsea MacNeil

Setting Sights on Cider

Upon entering Island Folk Cider House on Nepean Street in Sydney, N.S., you are met with warm Cape Breton hospitality. Like the bold colours of the cider cans on the production line, owner and operator of Island Folk, Jill McPherson (BA, 2010) is a vibrant entrepreneur and proud CBU alumna.

Growing up in the seaside town of Port Morien, N.S, Jill knew Cape Breton University was her best option for a quality education. While at CBU, Jill says her studies in anthropology and sociology had a profound impact on her. “My time at CBU shaped my world view, and for the first time allowed me to see society from a whole new vantage point,” she explains.

But studies were not Jill’s only area of focus during her years at Cape Breton University. At the CBU Student’s Union, Jill held several positions, including, VP Academic, and Campus Coordinator. She also founded an Amnesty International Chapter and Save the Children Chapter at CBU and led the committees to success.

By the time Jill reached her last year at CBU in 2010, she was sitting on the National Board for Save the Children and was offered an incredible opportunity to work in Kenya as a researcher for the organization. From there, a true passion for International Development was formed, and it was CBU professor Edwin MacLellan, who introduced Jill to the master’s program in International Development at Saint Mary’s University.

Graduate studies took Jill across the world, from Cuba, to Europe and many places in between. She earned the gold medal for her thesis in Agricultural Cooperatives and Food Sovereignty in socialist cuba, before returning back to CBU as a researcher and spending time in East Africa.

Jill soon realized that her time focused on international development could be translated to fit the needs of her own home town, in Cape Breton. With an entrepreneurial spirit, and a love for cider, Island Folk Cider House was born. Jill says her goal is to be a contributing employer to the community, and to support local farmers and food producers, through using local products in her ciders.

This summer is the first season of operation for Island Folk, and Jill hopes that her product will bring people together to share experiences; re-creating memories of fun Thursday nights at the CBU Pit Lounge. As she digs deeper into her new business, Jill says she’s working to create, “a business that proudly waves the Cape Breton flag.”

To find out more on supporting Cape Breton University, visit www.cbu.ca/alumni