Meet Our Certified Pommeliers™
Becoming a Certified Pommelier is a remarkable achievement that celebrates dedication, perseverance, and a deep passion for the art and science of cider. It requires hours of rigorous study, sensory analysis practice, and a commitment to mastering the intricacies of cider. From learning about different apple varieties to understanding the complex flavors and aromas of ciders, Certified Pommeliers have honed their skills to expert levels. Their hard work and preparation not only showcase their knowledge and expertise but also exemplify their love for all things cider-related. Cheers to all Certified Pommeliers for their dedication and commitment to the craft!
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As one of the founding cidermakers, Aaron is responsible for your original favorite Ash & Elm Cider Co. flavors. He…
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Aaron MJ Gore is the founder of Fresh Pitch Beverage Consulting, helping craft beverage makers navigate the myriad challenges of…
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Adam Snyder is a cider enthusiast from Cary, North Carolina. He works and uses his cider knowledge as a server…
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Adam Wargacki is a biochemist, orchardist, and winemaker born, raised and living in the Puget Sound. Returning home from a…
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Adam Wells is a cider and perry writer, presenter and author. He is founder and lead writer of Cider Review,…
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Adrian Luna’s journey into the world of cider started off as a spontaneous adventure with his friends. Four years ago,…
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Alexander Logan is the Head Cidermaker for 19 Acres Cider Co. With a Fermentation Science degree from Oregon State University,…
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Alexsis Cassady is a cider influencer who can be found on Instagram @ciderminded. Becoming a Certified Pommelier™ has been one…
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Alicia Pelkey is the head cidermaker at Red Apple Farm in Phillipston, Massachusetts, but as a New Hampshire resident is…
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Amie is a co-founder and Director of Sales and Brand Development at Botanist and Barrel Winery & Cidery in central…
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Andrew Byers trained as a culinary botanist and has many years of experience in kitchens and orchards. As head cidermaker…
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The owners and founders of James Creek Orchards and James Creek Cider House, Ann Marie Thornton and her husband David…
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Anthony is a cider enthusiast and the Head Brewer at AleSmith Brewing Company in San Diego, CA. Briefly starting as…
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Anthony Lopez is the sidrero (cidermaker) at Casa de Oro Cider. He is a third generation American who can trace…
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Ashley Wilson stumbled upon the cider industry in 2021, but soon fell in love. She started off as a production…
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Hailing from Dublin, Ireland, Barry is owner, orchardist, and maker at Kertelreiter Cider & Perry in the small village of…
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Brandon Buza is a cidermaker, amateur orchardist, educator, and rare pomme fruit nerd. His journey into fermentation started unexpectedly when…
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Brian is Co-Owner and Head Cidermaker at Green Bench Brewing/Green Bench Mead & Cider in Saint Petersburg, Florida. A Michigan…
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Bridget Fields discovered her passion for horticulture while a student at the University of Pittsburgh, where she volunteered at the…
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Brighid O’Keane is the Executive Director of the Cider Institute of North America (CINA), a global provider of cider production…
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Bryan Barry, originally from Long Island, currently calls the Hudson Valley his home. His enthusiasm with collecting and learning about…
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After five years of experience in the cider industry, Brynn Nencetti has stepped down into a role of simple cider…
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Cam Workman has worked both on-premise and off-premise wine in bars and wine retail, as a production and packaging lead…
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Casey Simpson is the Operations Manager at Artifact Cider Project. She oversees logistics and warehousing, and supports their production crew.…
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Charlee Oddo was born and raised in the heart of the New York Apple Belt and had an almost yearly…
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Charles McGonegal started AEppelTreow Winery (pronounced “apple true”) in 2001 as an elaborate ploy to buy his wife more jewelry. …
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Chase Rochon is a hospitality professional and cider enthusiast currently living in his home state of Maine. He fell in…
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Chris Jackson was born and raised in Florida and then spent nearly 10 years in Southern California, so, upon arrival…
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Born in the Bronx, Christian Rodriguez moved to New York’s Hudson Valley at a young age. While he has loved…
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Christian Scott Junes is just your average Head Cider Maker at Wild State Cider and a Business Owner at Borealis…
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Dr. Clayton Slaughter serves as the head cidermaker and orchardist for Slaughter Orchard & Cidery in Bloomington, Indiana. Clay enjoys…
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Dan Schreffler is the President and Winemaker at Space Time Mead & Cider Works which opened in Dunmore, Pennsylvania in…
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Daniel James has worked in the beverage and hospitality industry for over 10 years and has been a lover of…
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Danny Dispo has spent the last decade honing his knowledge of food, beverage and hospitality through the lens of bartending…
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Darlene Hayes, Certified Pommelier and dipWSET, is a writer and educator based in Northern California. In addition to writing for…
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Dave is a cider enthusiast, career tech consultant, whole-food home cook and proudly identifies as a “cider nerd”. He is…
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David Lugo is a cider enthusiast and is the Bar Operations Manager for the Clyde Theatre in Fort Wayne, Indiana.…
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David and his wife Ann Marie started an orchard of Southern heirloom apple varieties on their farm in central North…
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Deirdre Birmingham and her husband John started their orchard in 2003 in Wisconsin for the purpose of making cider and…
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Don Whitaker has been nurturing his passion for cider since relocating to Virginia from Georgia in 2016. Serendipitously, a position…
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Donatas Genys is an apple grower, a cidermaker and the founder of Sodo Sidrinė in Lithuania. He fell in love…
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Eliseo Bell-Uribe is the owner and head cidermaker at Heartland Ciderworks. He started Heartland CIderworks in 2022 with a single…
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After uprooting her life and moving to the Hudson Valley in January of 2021, Elissa’s only plan was to finish…
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Eric started his career in fermentation by working as a lab technician and cellar hand in the Paso Robles wine…
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Erik Madrid is a cider enthusiast and hobbyist cidermaker from Seattle, WA. He and his wife Storie (also recently certified)…
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Geoff Happel is the head cidermaker at Bold Rock Hard Cider. He chose to become a Certified Pommelier to continue…
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Greg Kodgis is the lead bartender and cocktail coordinator at Number 12 Cider in Minneapolis. He was raised south of…
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Hannah Keggins is the Cidermaker at Westwind Orchard. After studying entomology in Northern New York, she made her way to…
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Henry Johnson is the head cidermaker of the Mills River branch of Bold Rock Hard Cider. He is an accomplished…
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Ian Niblock is the Director of Cidermaking at Bold Rock Hard Cider. He has ben in the cider industry for…
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Jakob Jordan is a passionate cidermaker with a deep-rooted love for crafting exceptional beverages. Jakob’s journey into the world of…
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James Kerr works in the tasting room for Green Bench Brewing Company & Green Bench Cider & Mead in St.…
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Jamie’s passion for cider began in 2014 when curiosity led her through the door of Liberty Ciderworks, a small urban…
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Jana Daisy-Ensign has spent nearly two decades in craft beverage industry, including experience in distribution, consulting, sales, events, marketing and…
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Janelle Balsillie is the Co-owner and Cidermaker at Carolinia Cider Company in Harrow, Ontario, Canada and Head Cidermaker at Heeman’s…
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Jason Cassidy is the cidermaker at The Cider Farm in Madison, Wisconsin where he is fortunate to work with the…
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Jeannie Dubois first fell in love with cider on a trip to the British Isles in the 1990s. Since then,…
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Jenn Smith runs Grow-NY, a food and ag startup program, for Cornell University, where she draws on her background in…
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Jennie Dorsey is founding member of Pomme Boots Society for women in the Cider Industry and has held numerous positions…
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Jessica is a former cider slinger and overly-educated enthusiast with a graphic design habit. She resides in the Pacific Northwest…
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Born and raised in the Hudson Valley, Joe has always had a deep-rooted passion for fermentation. A member of the…
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John Powell is co-founder of Cider Apples New Zealand, which has established one of the world’s largest cider apple breeding…
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Johnny Rice loved the first taste of cider they had. When studying the botany and history of apples, a passion…
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Joseph Nosse, the founder of Frontier Ciderworks LLC in Jefferson, OH. He is an inquisitive cidermaker, an admirer of apples,…
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What started for Joshua Corl as a home brewing and cidermaking hobby led to an internship and then employment as…
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Karl is part the Bold Rock team as Quality Assurance Manager. He is an Advanced Cicerone® and Owner & Founder…
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Kate Pinsley began her cider journey with a pint of Original Sin served in a sketchy bar in the East…
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Born and raised in the Bay Area, Kathleen Amaral always had a passion for agriculture and the alcohol industry. She…
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Katie Black is currently working in production at DSSOLVR in Asheville, North Carolina where she is continuing to explore all…
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Katie is a passionate cider maker, tester and appreciator. Katie’s mind was blown after trying Eve’s and ANXO ciders, and…
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Khris Johnson is the Founding Brewer and Owner of Green Bench Brewing Co., which opened in 2013 in St. Petersburg,…
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Kyle Degener is an orchardist, cidermaker and the creator of Holy Beez, which is the only cider specific orchard in…
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Kyle McLennan, Co-founder and President of 19 Acres Cider Co., was born and raised on an apple farm. Starting his…
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Leah Pagett is the Head Cidermaker at Bold Rock Hard Cider in Nellysford, VA where she utilizes her knowledge and…
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Prior to co-founding Barebottle Brewing Company in 2016, Lester Koga worked at General Electric for 9 years as a Product…
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Maia Wohlert began her journey in cider in 2021 after graduating from Eckerd College with a bachelors in biology and…
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Marco Manfrini was the first Italian to become an accredited Pommelier through the Beer and Cider Academy in 2019. Since…
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Marina is an international finance professional who converted to wine religion. She has been working in the wine industry, mainly…
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Matt Spiess, a Nashville native and cider enthusiast, discovered his passion for cider after moving to Seattle, where the vibrant…
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Matt began his cider journey as a part-time tour guide and bartender at the Angry Orchard Cider House in Walden,…
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Matthew Ostrander is on a mission to be a leading educator and advocate in the craft cider movement by doing…
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Max Finnance is the Sr. Manager of Education & Training for Bold Rock Hard Cider, and is also an aspiring…
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Meredith Collins is the blogger behind Along Came A Cider, where she has been tasting and reviewing hard cider for…
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Michelle joined the American Cider Association as executive director in July of 2016. Her rich history includes non-profit management, membership…
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Mikey Crews is the #2 Juice Jockey at Wine Grapes Direct where he’s been providing the wine and cider industry…
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Molly Leadbetter is the co-founder and owner of Meriwether Cider, a thriving cider company established in 2016. With a passion…
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Attentive to healthy eating, an athlete, and a supporter of the importance of biodiversity, as well as reducing food waste,…
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Natalia Wszelaki a.k.a Cider Explorer is a cider blogger, cider expert and international cider judge with years of experience in…
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Nova Scotia has a rich history in apple production (one of the oldest in North America). Growing up in the…
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Particularly known for her skill at tasting and blending, Nicole LeGrand Leibon has been cited as one of the best…
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Nicole Wheeler is a founding partner and owner at Treehorn Cider in Marietta, Ga., just outside Atlanta, and runs the…
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Paige’s journey into hard cider began with a chance introduction to the beverage at an Irish pub in Queens, NY…
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Pete Serventi is the farmer and cidermaker at Serventi Ranch, located in Corralitos, California, in the heart of Pajaro Valley…
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Rachel Bolongaro grew up with a passion for good English cider. At a career crossroads she decided to channel this…
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Rob Durham is a cidermaker with durham cider + wine co. They utilize nature’s generosity through the magical meanderings of natural…
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Roland is an orchardist, home cidermaker, and cider enthusiast living in the Capital District of New York. He is in…
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Rosie Zollinger’s journey into cider began in Canada in 2015 with a humble homebrew made from store-bought juice. It was…
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Sara Cravens is the Taproom Manager and Donation Coordinator for 2 Towns Ciderhouse based in Corvallis, Oregon. She became a…
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Sarah is a passionate sommelier and hospitality professional based in Minneapolis. She finds joy in the collaborative nature of restaurant…
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Sean Niemisto is a cider fanatic. While cutting his teeth in the beverage industry as a production brewer, he quickly…
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Storie Madrid is a longtime cider enthusiast from Seattle, WA. She and her spouse, Erik, are are the owners of…
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Suzannah Klaniecki is a cidermaker with Schilling Cider based in Seattle, Washington. She decided to take the Certified Pommelier™ exam…
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Taylor Corrigan (she/they) is a long time cider enthusiast. She started her journey with a bottle of Finnriver Pear cider…
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Tim Godfrey is the owner of Godfrey Beverage Solutions based in Michigan. He became a Certified Pommelier™ to demonstrate his…
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Tim Powers is a cider enthusiast and educator who works at the Commonwealth Wine School in Cambridge, Masschusetts. Tim has…
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Tom Hansen grew up in and still resides in New York State’s Hudson Valley, surrounded by farmland and natural beauty.…
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Valerie Scott is the Owner of Duluth Cider, located in Duluth, Minnesota. Valerie fell in love with cidermaking and drinking…
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Walker Smith and his wife are slowing growing Goldeneye Cider, currently a cidery-in-planning. They are located in Whatcom County, Washington,…
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Will Loughlin started his career in cider as a pourer at a regional New York cider company and moved his…
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Y. Dave Klawer is a cidermaker, orchardist, cider advocate, educator and enthusiast. He is completing a Masters Degree in Agriculture…
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Yann Gilles, French Oenologist and Cidrologue, founded Malus & Vitis, a consultancy for cider and apple-spirit production, has 25 years’…
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Be the first Certified Pommelier™ in your state! Click here to learn more and sign up for our next Certified…
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