Archive for March 2021
Upcoming Webinars: Coffee Chats with Vinoshipper
The American Cider Association is excited to share two upcoming webinars with Theresa Dorr of Vinoshipper that will be available to their members. Please read below for more information about these webinars and how to register. You must be an active ACA member to register for these events.
Coffee Chat with Vinoshipper: Sales Beyond the Tasting Room: Maximizing Your Online Reach
This content is for members only.
If you were a member and are now seeing this message, please Renew your membership to continue.
Coffee Chat with VinoShipper: DtC Cider Trends, 2020 + Beyond
This content is for members only.
If you were a member and are now seeing this message, please Renew your membership to continue.
Get to Know Your Board Member: Soham Bhatt
We’re pleased to introduce you to the newest ACA Board Member, Soham Bhatt of Artifact Cider Project who was elected to an At Large Cidery Seat on the board in 2021!
Where do you work and what is your position?
Co-founder and cidermaker at Artifact Cider Project in Massachusetts
Do you work in cider full time? If not, what is your other job?
Full-time
How did you get into cider?
As a customer! I had a few “epiphany ciders” that pushed me from customer to producer and changed my worldview on the relationship between apples and cider: West County Cider, Oliver’s, Cidre Dupont, and Gurutzeta.
Why did you decide to run for a position on the board?
Cider is at an exciting moment in it’s growth as an industry, and I think that I can provide a unique perspective on customer education and advocacy of cider as a category.
What are your hopes for the future of the US Cider Industry?
That it’s here to stay. Some alcohol trends come and go, styles come and go, but I’d really like cider to become a fundamental part of the cultural landscape of the United States.
How do you describe your cider region?
Broadly, our region is the Northeast. The apples we work with primarily grow in MA, NY, NH, and VT. When we make terroir-driven ciders, we focus specifically on the middle Connecticut River valley, upper Berkshires area.
What’s your favorite apple to work with and why?
Depends on the grower. I love Roxbury Russet because of its provenance, but also because of its richness, versatility, and distinct flavor profile. McIntosh is an oft-maligned apple that in the right hands with the right tools is also quite explosive aromatically and exciting. In terms of European apples, I would have to say that Yarlington Mill, with its floral, fruity softness, is also a pleasure to work with and makes me yearn for an American seedling that can supplant it.
What is your favorite cider/food pairing?
Depends on the cider. I love fresh, fruit forward ciders at the start of a meal, so anything snack-y, like pâté, tinned fish, basically any cheese, raw bar, takis, cheetos, funyuns, chips of various flavors, fried goodies.
What is your favorite nature/cider pairing?
Also depends on the cider. I love a dry, funky cider at dusk, sitting ocean side around early May, when the flowers are beginning to bloom but the water’s still too cold to take a swim.
What would you like our members to know about you that they might not know?
My wife and I are enthusiastic travelers (pre-Covid), and love to explore new places around the world. As avid home cooks we try to take cooking classes and eat everything wherever we go. Upon returning we try to replicate our favorite dishes for our friends. Come over and eat!
Learn more about all our board members here.
Annual Membership Meeting Recording Available!
In the meeting, we reviewed last year’s accomplishments, took a look at our new strategic plan, and talked about our future activities to support the cider industry.
You must be an Active ACA Member to view the Annual Membership Meeting. You can become a member or update your membership here.
Check out the recording of this year’s ACA Annual Membership Meeting by clicking here! You will be prompted to login prior to being able to access the link to the recording.
Annual Membership Meeting Recording
This content is for members only.
If you were a member and are now seeing this message, please Renew your membership to continue.
Email Your Rep About Supporting the Fairness for Craft Beverages Act
Craft beverage producers who rely on direct to consumer sales were some of the hardest economically hit businesses in the Covid-19 pandemic. The year-end Covid-relief package allowed certain businesses (under NAICS code 72) to apply for 3.5 times their average monthly payroll on second draw PPP loans, but many cideries with prominent tasting rooms were excluded from the expanded relief. The Fairness for Craft Beverage Producers Act will ensure that cideries, wineries, meaderies, distilleries and breweries can receive the expanded funding. This would include businesses that fall under NAICS 3121 series and derive at least 35% of gross annual revenue during either calendar year 2019 or 2020 from in-person sales of products.
The American Cider Association is dedicated to advocating for the fair treatment of America’s cider industry. Will you join us in reaching out to your member of Congress about supporting this bill?
Get to Know ACA President Eleanor Leger
International Women’s Day has been happening for a little over 100 years, but we all know the mark women have made upon history is much longer than that and so has been their role in cidermaking. Furthermore, we continue to see more women take a leading role in the cider industry.
You’ve already been introduced to Vice President Brooke Glover today. Now it’s time to get to know ACA Board President Eleanor Leger. Eleanor has been involved with the ACA since it’s inception and has served on the board in various capacities over the years. She was elected to be Board President in 2021.
Where do you work and what is your position?
Founder and CEO, Eden Specialty Ciders, Newport, VT
How did you get into cider?
I started making ice cider in our basement in 2007. One thing led to another…
Why did you decide to run for a position on the board?
I originally ran for an ‘At Large’ position on the Board back in 2015 hoping to represent the perspective of smaller, orchard-based cideries. For the first few years I was the only woman and the only small cidery on the Board. We made good progress in professionalizing the Association, moving our finances from spreadsheets to QuickBooks, hiring our first Executive Director in Michelle, and including a track at CiderCon of relevance to smaller orchard-based producers. I was honored to be re-elected in 2019 as Eastern Region Chair.
What are your hopes for the future of the US Cider Industry?
I’m encouraged by the continued steady growth of regional ciders. I look forward to increasing awareness of cider’s diversity of flavors and methods, our ties to orchards and agriculture, and our efforts to welcome all to our products, our taprooms, and our industry.
What do you feel you uniquely bring to the board?
I bring a unique combination of 1) a professional background in business and product strategy, 2) 14 years as a very small scale grower and producer, 3) experience with wide distribution in the market due to our leadership in the tiny niche of ice cider. This means I have some understanding of the needs of cideries of all sizes and strategies, and of the complexities of the regulations, market dynamics and business challenges that impact them.
How would you describe the approach you plan to take in your role as president of the ACA board?
Our role is to work with Michelle to set the overall strategy and plans for the Association and support her in achieving them. I’ve been involved in the development of our new strategic plan, and am very excited about the initiatives we will be working on. I will be looking to insure our work is delivering benefits for all segments of our industry, and that we are consciously expanding our outreach – to the hundreds of small cideries that may not realize how our programming can help them, to the apple growing community that shares a stake in our future, and to Black, Indigenous and People of Color among consumers, trade, producers and suppliers whom we invite to join our journey.
Finally, I want to make sure we all have FUN doing this work. One of the things I have loved most about being in this industry is that by and large we are down-to-earth people that enjoy having a good cider at the end of the day, and are excited to have others party with us!
What’s your favorite apple to work with and why?
At Eden we work with so many heirloom and tannic varieties it is difficult to choose just one. For right now I will choose Belle de Boskoop – an old Dutch russet that actually became very popular in Normandy. We just released a single-variety of this from the 2019 harvest at Scott Farm. It has wonderful juicy acidity with pronounced orange and tropical notes.
What is your favorite cider/food pairing?
Any dry, tannic still cider with a pan-seared pork chop, also shortbread cookies with a glass of ice cider at the end of a meal!
What is your favorite nature/cider pairing?
Sitting on the beach at nearby, aptly-named Crystal Lake with a can of Deep Cut.
What would you like our members to know about you that they might not know?
I have two grown children, two border collies, and am blessed to be married to a saint for more than 35 years 🙂
Get to Know ACA Vice President Brooke Glover
International Women’s Day has been happening for a little over 100 years, but we all know the mark women have made upon history is much longer than that and so has been their role in cidermaking. Furthermore, we continue to see more women take a leading role in the cider industry.
Today we invite you to get to know the two women at the helm of the ACA board–first up, Vice-President Brooke Glover. Brooke was re-elected to the board and re-elected to the position of Vice President in 2021.
Where do you work and what is your position?
I am one of the co-founders and President at Swilled Dog Hard Cider and Swilled Dog Spirits.
How did you get into cider?
The first time my husband took me back to his hometown, we went to one of his friend’s cellars and I was able to try dry cider, straight from the barrel, made from West Virginia apples. Up to that point, I had only experienced sweet cider. So that was very eye-opening for me that there were many ways to make cider and I pretty much fell in love with the beverage. We then started exploring the category more and making it at home. I also soon found out that my grandfather used to make cider when he was younger- I didn’t know that about him so it has been cool for me to talk to him about that part of his life that I knew nothing about.
Why did you decide to run for a position on the board?
I really enjoy being of service and feeling like I can make a difference. We have such an amazing industry and I want it to continue growing and thriving.
What are your hopes for the future of the US Cider Industry?
Growth. I believe that growth will come with better understanding of the category and education about the beverage, how it’s made and the passion that goes into it from the makers.
What do you feel you uniquely bring to the board?
Our board has varied and wonderful skill sets and backgrounds but something unique that I try to bring to our work every day is positivity and a growth mindset to everything we do. Challenges do (and will continue to) arise and I enjoy tackling those and always try to think of it as a chance to grow and improve.
How would you describe the approach you plan to take in your role as vice president of the ACA board?
I’ve been Vice-President now for two years and I’ve always tried to make sure I’m doing more listening than talking- I want to continue doing that this year. Also, I try to make sure everything we do is working toward fulfilling our mission and our strategic plan. The strategic plan takes a lot of time, effort, and mindshare to develop and it is important that we stay on track with working that plan. And lastly, I want to make sure I am supporting the board, Michelle, and our new President, Eleanor, as much as possible.
What’s your favorite apple to work with and why?
I love the Virginia Hewes Crab. It is tiny and is a ton of work but it is very worth it. The flavor that it provides is amazing and we have bunch that grow here in West Virginia, so I’m keeping it local!
What is your favorite cider/food pairing?
I love a dry cider paired with a nice cheese tray.
What is your favorite nature/cider pairing?
My favorite nature/cider pairing is our Pumpkin Patch cider sitting around a fire in the early fall in West Virginia listening to Tony Caridi calling the Mountaineers on the radio. It really doesn’t get much better than that but my second favorite is our Pineapple cider on the beach.
What would you like our members to know about you that they might not know?
Just two fun facts: I played Division I college volleyball and we also own a distillery.