Behind The Bar At TinCap Hard Cider

Jason & Michelle Vaughan

“I think that TinCap really just meant community. It just brought so many people from our area together in one place,” said Jason Vaughan, Co-Owner of TinCap Hard Cider and BBQ, with his wife, Michelle, who he met at the former Wilmington YMCA.

TinCap opened in 2018 and originally started in Jason and Michelle’s basement. Their name was inspired by Johnny Appleseed’s tin cap. They’ve been at the location on Sugartree Street for 6 years. According to Jason, it took almost a year and all of his retirement to get the building ready.

Prior to owning TinCap, Jason was a nurse at Clinton Memorial Hospital, and Michelle worked at Ferno. Jason's interest in home brewing began as a kid when he helped his father make beer and grandmother make wine. Jason stated, “I just always thought that was a neat process, how you took something... changed it and made it into something else.” Later in life, Jason was inspired to start making cider because his dad developed a gluten allergy and could no longer drink beer.

Jason decided to leave his 25-year career in 2018 to pursue TinCap. He quickly learned it would require more help, so Michelle also left her career in 2019. However, COVID forced them to shut down less than a year later. Fortunately, since the health department originally required them to have a food license for their ice machine, they already had a pizza oven and were able to offer carry-out meals and growlers. According to Jason, "the community got behind us and saved us."

Jason hopes to continue investing in Wilmington, and even has a vision of one day opening a larger music venue. He stated, "If you value your community and you value your downtown, you take care of it.” He urges others to also "invest in [your] downtown... It’s not even a risk... It's been point proven, if you invest in your downtown, you make it nice... that money... will come back."

TinCap's 8th anniversary will be on June 21 from 5pm to 10pm. Listen to Jason's full story on The Real Change Podcast, episode 71.

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