MAKER

BELLA SNOW COFOUNDER SEAN BOISSON, who grew up in Sonoma and is the JV baseball coach at Sonoma Valley High School, came up with the idea for his new business after helping his younger sister wash her car one afternoon. A good 80 pounds lighter than Sean, his sister declined a second beer that day because she knew she had to drive home. “It got me thinking about leveling the playing fi eld of people’s tolerances and coming up with a beer that was fully beer but had less alcohol,” says Boisson.

Boisson and co-founder Mathew Rohrs, college friends from Sonoma State University, worked with consulting brewmaster Peter Stearns to develop the recipe for Bella Snow, which comes in at 2.4% ABV (alcohol by volume). The low-calorie Scottish-style “soft ale” — made with Cascade hops and infused with grapefruit fl avors — is also unique in that all the gluten is removed from the beer and it contains no sugar.

Boisson and Rohrs realize that competition is fi erce in the beer arena. They plan to self-distribute for as long as possible to keep the per-can price low. Their goal is for Bella Snow to be available coast to coast within the next two years. “We want women and smaller people – people of all tolerance levels – to be able to keep drinking with their friends if they want to,” says Boisson. -Lorna Sheridan

Bella Snow cofounders Sean Boisson, right, and Mathew Rohrs, in their Sonoma warehouse.

at Mary’s Pizza Shack, HopMonk Tavern, Burgers & Vine, and other local restarants. It’s also sold at Sonoma’s Broadway Market and at Glen Ellen Village Market. bellasnow.com

Stunning stoneware mugs and vases from a Petaluma ceramicist

By Dana Rebmann

Her creations bring joy to our everyday rituals. “It’s nice to think of people starting their day with one of my mugs. I get to help them get caffeinated,” laughs ceramicist Heather Fordham. “Or have a cup of tea when they need to calm down.”

The Petaluma mother of two converted her garage into a pottery studio a few years back to focus on improving her craft. But when looking at her work, including elegantly glazed matte-black mugs and dinnerware, it’s hard to imagine even a hint of artistic struggle. “It looks so much like cast iron. It just feels strong — and it goes with everything,” says Fordham.