Queenslander Shane Dalupan admits that he matured fairly quickly when he was young, always concerned about where his path would lead. This concern led to a constant reevaluation of whether or not he was headed in the right direction; luckily, life allows lane changes.
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree
While sticking to one path is more comfortable for some, changing lanes is a running theme in Shane's family.
"My parents were travellers. After they both attended the University of the East (UE), they soon realised the future laid outside the Philippines," he says.
"My mum studied to be a nurse, got a scholarship in England then worked in the Royal Brompton Hospital. My father ended up working for the US embassy in West Germany."
Itchy feet and a thirst for new adventure prompted the couple to move to the UAE where Shane's mother became the prince's personal nurse and head of the state hospital's ICU. It was also in the Middle East where the couple bore Shane.
"My parents were travelers. After they both attended the University of the East (UE), they soon realised the future laid outside the Philippines." Source: Shane Dalupan
"Because of [my parents'] personal narrative, they instilled in me that want to think outside the box and experience life," Shane says.
"So when we moved to Australia, having that vast and varied background, I guess I was able to broaden my horizons in terms of what lay ahead in life."
Aside from his parents' penchant for the unconventional, what lay ahead in life for Shane was also influenced by his great uncle's legacy.
Francisco Dalupan, Shane's great uncle and one of the founders of the University of the East Source: Shane Dalupan
"I was made aware that my great uncle was one of the founders of UE. He was an accountant, [but] all of a sudden found the university. He decided that he would push the boundaries. It always stuck with me."
The fruit of his labour
While the story of his great uncle stuck with him, Shane had to go through different careers to find a fit.
"I started out in computer science but it didn’t work out exactly as I was hoping. In the early 2000s, there were very little women around," he laughs, admitting, "Being a young male, it was hard to come to terms with, so I chose [a path] wherever there's more women and consequently ended up in nursing."
Although nursing did afford him the opportunity to meet more women, it was a trip to Stanthorpe that would lead him down a rather unique path.
Shane admits that he wanted to become a nurse to meet women; but laughs that it also didn't quite work out as he thought as he married an accountant. Source: Shane Dalupan
"A bunch of mates wanted to try the apple pie [in Stanthorpe, a town in QLD that grows apples]. On the shelf of the store were a few of these bottles called cider. In the early 2000s, cider didn't even have a footprint of any sort here in Australia." he shares
"I really liked the taste so I started to play around with it and it became a hobby."
From a hobby, concocting his own apple cider evolved into a business, Apple Boy Cider Co., which has been operational for more than a year.
Stanthorpe is a town in QLD known growing apples. Source: AmericanTrails from Pixabay
"I created our first batch in New Zealand because the recipe required three specific apples which unfortunately QLD didn't have three years ago; so I'm currently in research and development to use local apples in QLD."
With the local apples in QLD, Shane developed his classic apple cider recipe as well as a hopped chilli, both "slightly on the thicker side in terms of viscosity, not a liquer but not watery. Just perfectly balanced and encapsulates a lot of that apple scent, aroma and flavour."
And for Shane, a want for flavour balance and a more forgiving alcohol content were some of the reasons why he decided to venture into the ever-evolving alcohol industry
"Once upon a time, people would go for the hard drinks. Its an adjunct to being able to socialise; but if you drink anything higher than a wine, it inhibits your ability to continue. And people who once loved beer often hit the age of 30 and get a gluten intolerance," he shares, adding, "Cider is a bridge between wine and beer. It's a particular option people can look into."
While cider has become a common option people look into nowadays, Shane shares that he is planning on more unique flavours in the future using Filipino ingredients such as calamansi.
"We are also working with a multinational to tap into the Asian market," he adds.
Shane shares that because citrus blends well with apples, he is planning to develop a calamansi apple cider in the future. Source: icon0.com from Pexels
As his plans and ideas come to fruition, Shane believes that the different paths he took led him to build the business he has today.
"Go down different paths and see how far it takes you. Be willing to pull the trigger and decide if it's for you or not. If it's not, be willing to get up and walk away from it and start again. Eventually, with trying, you will get to where something works."
As his plans and ideas come to fruition, Shane believes that the different paths he took led him to build the business he has today. Source: Apple Boy Cider Co. Instagram
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