Posts by Michelle McGrath

This CiderCon session will take place Thursday, February 4, Noon to 1PM PST.

This facilitated Leadership Action Group breakout session begins the process of exploring the practices and metrics that are – or could be— the call signs of a sustainable cider enterprise and industry. This interactive session kicks off with a brief orientation on sustainability and measurement with sustainability strategy and reporting expert Lisa Spicka of Maracuja Solutions. With this background as reference, participants will share sustainability successes and challenges with peers. Finally, the group will work through a series of discussions to identify how sustainability might be leveraged to elevate the performance and reputation of the cider industry and its businesses, with a focus on the metrics that might be measured to help tell the story. You won’t want to miss being a part of this Thought Leadership initiative!

Pre-Registration Requested: To enhance session outcomes, we request that participants pre-register via this Google Form by February 2^nd. The Form (@ 5-10 minutes to complete) includes simple background questions. However, you won’t be turned away if you “show up” the day of the session!

We are working to bring our members relevant virtual content during this time. Our webinars are free if viewed live, and they are always accessible to our active members as recordings on our member page after logging in with your account.

JUNE 18: New Developments in PPP Loan Forgiveness

Speakers: Richard Lyons, Partner and Co-Chair of Wendel Rosen’s Food and Beverage practice and Kirk Faris, CPA and Tax Senior Manager at Moss Adams

SUMMARY: This webinar will go over the PPP loan, and in particular the new laws and updates that came into effect over the past few weeks, as well as related topics:

–Determining and maximizing PPP loan forgiveness, including what expenditures “count”, applicable period and employee considerations
–Minimizing and deferring expenses, whether you received a PPP loan or not: tax credits, raising capital, SBA loans, etc.
–Other financial and business considerations

JUNE 23: An Introduction to Managing Distributor Relationships

Speaker: Julie Rhodes, business coach and owner of Not Your Hobby Marketing Solutions

SUMMARY: This webinar will most benefit new cideries, those expanding their distributor partnerships for the first time, and brands that would like to improve their relationship with their current wholesale partners. A distribution contract is a partnership, which should be mutually beneficial for both parties. In this webinar we will explore 6 actionable ways that you can be a proactive supplier partner with your wholesaler, so that you can improve the profitability of your relationship. By the end of this webinar, you should walk away with an understanding of how to effectively partner with your distributor to grow your cider brand, increase sales and brand awareness, and foster a mutually beneficial business relationship for long term growth.

Have a webinar topic suggestion? Reach out.

Virtual Listening Tour: May 12-15
We’re hitting the virtual road! Please join the board of the American Cider Association for a listening tour next month. What you can expect: 

• Program & resource updates from Executive Director Michelle McGrath, including the legislative & compliance landscape for cider and COVID-19 pandemic updates
• Virtual Listening Session led by Michelle with your Regional Board Chair
• Informative Guest Speakers

We hope you’ll join us with your questions and comments on the national landscape for cider and the American Cider Association’s involvement. Please note that to keep this meeting productive, we are limiting the meeting to pre-registered participants and a password is required (received upon registration).

LINKS TO REGISTER CAN BE FOUND BELOW

–>Tuesday, May 12: American Cider Association Virtual Listening Tour: Eastern Region

–>Tuesday, May 12: American Cider Association Virtual Listening Tour: Midwest Region

–>Wednesday, May 13: American Cider Association Virtual Listening Tour: Southern Region

–>Wednesday, May 13: American Cider Association Virtual Listening Tour: Mountain West Region

–>Thursday, May 14: American Cider Association Virtual Listening Tour: Pacific Coast Region

–>Friday, May 15: American Cider Association Virtual Listening Tour: Northwest Region

P.S. Have questions you’d like to send in advance? We’d love to hear them! Let us know what you’re thinking.

Urge Congress to Approve Economic Relief from COVID-19 for Craft Beverage Alcohol Producers

Members of the Craft Beverage Coalition representing the nation’s brewers, distillers, vintners, cidermakers and mead producers are hosting a “Call to Action” on Wednesday, April 22 to urge Congress to provide much needed economic support for the industry.  As a result of “stay at home” orders issued by state officials, craft producers are struggling to stay afloat as they take innovative steps to keep the doors open, including curbside pickup and local delivery options as well as the production of hand sanitizers and disinfectant sprays.  The CARES Act provided initial relief, but much more must be done.  The coalition is asking Congress to provide more economic relief so that businesses can weather this crisis, return to normal operations once the crisis is over, and continue supporting jobs and state economies across the country while providing consumers with their favorite products to enjoy responsibly. 

The Coalition is asking Congress to take the following actions:

• Suspend all federal excise tax obligations on domestic and imported alcohol products, effective January 1, 2020, through December 31, 2020 so producers can dedicate scarce resources to payroll and other operating costs.

•  Enact a permanent extension of the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act (H.R. 1175/S. 362), which now has bipartisan support from 74 senators and 343 representatives and would provide certainty amidst economic instability.

• Approve additional funding to support no- and low-interest loan and grant programs administered by the Department of the Treasury and Small Business Administration, including the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans. 

• Authorize the Department of the Treasury to create a Workforce Stabilization Fund for the hospitality and travel sectors that will allow distilleries, breweries, wineries, and cideries to keep workers employed, maintain operations, and meet financial obligations. 

• Create temporary tax incentives that encourage consumers to return to on-premise dining and drinking establishments when public health officials determine it’s safe.  Examples include reinstating the expanded business entertainment tax deduction and creating a new, temporary travel tax credit equal to 50% of any expense for meals, lodging, recreation, transportation, or entertainment while traveling away from home within the U.S.

• Encourage the Administration to work with our trading partners to simultaneously suspend tariffs on beer, wine, and distilled spirits products and our supply chain partners. 

Join the Call to Action and help craft producers seek much needed economic relief.

There’s a lot of information (and a lot of MISSING information) regarding stimulus funds currently. Here are a few new pieces of info to know:

+According to the SBA, lenders supporting PPP loans “must make the first disbursement of the loan no later than 10 calendar days after the loan is approved.” Read more

+The Treasury is expected to start dispersing stimulus checks by April 10 Read more

+The government is releasing informing guidelines on many of the SBA resources on what seems like a rolling basis. Although the good news is that “EIDL Loan advances will start to be distributed this week,” the SBA has released at least in some places that the advances are for “$1000 per employee up to $10,000 max.” This is different than what was previously said.

+Farmers do qualify for PPP loans, but as of today, they do not qualify for EIDL loans. We are advocating for farmers to qualify for EIDL loans and for specialty crop support in the USDA earmarked stimulus funds of the CARES ACt. To learn more about what resources are available to farm-based businesses, check out our webinar with Penn State Extension on Monday, April 13.

+Congress is struggling to find a path forward for a bipartisan proposal that would expand the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). It is recognized by both parties that expanding the program is necessary.

The TTB announced on March 31 that they will postpone excise tax filing and payment due dates for 90 days. The full announcement and details of their plan can be read in their newsletter.

The craft beverage coalition, which the American Cider Association is proud to support, asked for excise tax relief in a joint letter on March 19.

In the announcement, the TTB acknowledged that the alcohol industry is hurting due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) recognizes that businesses that we regulate are being severely impacted by COVID-19.  To assist these businesses during this period, we are postponing several filing and payment due dates for 90-days where the original due date falls on or after March 1, 2020, through July 1, 2020.”

The American Cider Association applauds the TTB for responding to the needs of the industry during this time.

The US Senate just passed the CARES Act, or what is commonly known as the Phase III COVID-19 economic stimulus package. The bill includes many things (here is a good summary), but 3 things in particular will help the cider industry.

• It puts cash directly in the pockets of most Americans
• It extends unemployment and expands it to include sole proprietors and contractors
• It funds small business loans to cover payroll support, mortgage payments, insurance premiums and other debt obligations. Loans used for these qualified purposes may be forgiven

We are working around the clock to address the challenges you are facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our goal is to remove barriers that will make it difficult for cideries to continue operating as normally as possible as soon as possible. We’ve been working with regulators and lobbying Congress to get you the relief that you need.

It’s believed that an additional stimulus package may come together in a couple months to address certain specific industry needs, hopefully including ours. We have champions and political power because we create manufacturing jobs and agriculture is core to our being. We are Main Street. 

It’s no secret that shopping patterns have dramatically changed since it became clear that the Corona virus was here. The subject of endless memes, grocery shelves–especially the toilet paper section–are picked clean as people stock up for the long haul. According to Nielsen’s off-premise sales data, consumers are also stocking up on cider.

Off-premise sales in the channels measured by Nielsen show cider retail sales up 22% for the week ending on March 14 compared to the week ending on March 7. Other segments of beverage alcohol also saw increases.

Changing Retail Landscape

American Cider Association members across the country have seen sometimes dramatic changes in how their customers are buying cider. Offering local delivery has earned more dollars than previously average taproom earnings for many smaller cideries. It will be interesting to speak with online retailers to see how e-commerce shopping patterns change for cider in the coming weeks.

In an average year, on-premise sales account for roughly 60% of cider’s total sales according to Nielsen CGA (compared to 40% for beer as estimated by the Brewer’s Association). This 60/40 breakdown of on-/off-premise sales for cider doesn’t include cidery taproom or independent retailer sales. Still, it’s safe to say we will see a dramatic shift in on-premise’s dominance in cider’s marketshare in the coming weeks. Expect to see business model adaptions to continue and include curbside, delivery and online retail.

The American Cider Association joined trade groups for wine, spirits, beer and mead in requesting the following support for the beverage alcohol community during the Covid-19 Pandemic:

Expand Unemployment Insurance

Suspend Payroll taxes

Provide federal excise tax relief

Provide Robust no- and low-interest loan assistance

Create an industry stabilization fund

Maintain an open commercial border

Seek the suspension of tariffs on beverage alcohol and their suppliers

You can view the letter here.

The association is pursuing additional efforts to support state level relief policies including ease of shipping. Cideries can help us identify opportunities for relief by taking our brief impact survey.

We are in unprecedented times. We know you are facing economic uncertainty. As your association, we are here to listen to your challenges, and get help on its way in whatever capacity we can. Here are a few things we’re doing to help.

Provide an informational hub specific to our industry’s needs: We’ve launched our Covid-19 resource page. We’ll be updating this daily to help you access useful information. 

Connect you to your peers to share challenges and solutions:We have launched a Facebook group for peer to peer networking with fellow members. We will also be monitoring our website’s forum. If there was ever a time to need to connect, now is it. Members can click here to request to join the Facebook group.

Unify our voice for our specific needs: The beverage alcohol community, including the American Cider Association, is working hard to advocate for solutions to relieve the impact of closures and lost jobs. Cider is absolutely an economic driver and that’s a story that is easy to tell. The beverage alcohol community is having early conversations about delayed excise taxes and other paths to help all our members keep their doors open in the long run. How has Covid impacted your business? What form of relief would help during this difficult time? Please take our 7-question survey to help us craft the message of urgency and need to Congress and the TTB. 

Look to the future: It’s hard to think about much else than this crazy situation right now. Nevertheless, the American Cider Association is working hard to find ways to help our industry weather this storm, including keeping our eye on the future of the industry. Our long-term goals to grow a diverse and successful industry haven’t changed, and we won’t lose sight of them even as we focus on short term support. We are planning to host virtual town halls for all of our regions in May. You can sign up now, forget about them for a few weeks, and then join us for updates on our next 3-year strategic plan, including our compliance camp project to provide members with comprehensive resources on topics like excise taxes, labeling, franchise law and licenses. These town halls are open to all cideries—regardless of your membership status. Stay tuned for official dates and registration links. 

We’ll be back with more resources to support you on a rolling basis over the next few weeks. Thank you for being a member so we can harness this industry’s collective power to do what it needs to thrive. In the coming days, check on your cider industry peers and friends. We promise to do the same. Cider IS stronger together.

According to our partners at Nielsen, 2017 ended with soaring regional cider brand growth yet slight overall negative off-premise cider sales from the year before. Two year laters, annual total off-premise sales for 2019 were 6% higher than at the end of 2017. In a world where year over year or quarter over quarter is the easiest number to grab, important nuances sometimes get left behind.

For example, hard seltzer grew over 200% last year. You know what else grew over 200% last year? Rosé cider offerings from regional brands.

So before anybody starts citing “total cider sales” as being on a slight decline for 2019, make sure you point out the continued double digit growth (several years counting now) for regional and local cider brands. There are success stories for national brands too. We are not represented by one number and cider is finding sustainable growth.

More data is available for you. Nielsen trends and webinars are complimentary benefits to all American Cider Association members. The data is broken down by 24 regional markets for off-premise and on-premise details are also provided. It’s further broken down by packaging and flavor and national/regional brands. Nielsen also shares quarterly reports highlighting trends. Webinars, CiderCon presentations (including Nielsen’s), data and more can all be found after logging into our website with your active account.

We know that Nielsen data doesn’t take everyone’s sales into account, but we also know it does tend to reveal major trends. To complement Nielsen data, we are working to create new partnerships for your benefit with nontraditional data sources.

Our friends at Vinoshipper are a great example of the potential stories we can tell with alternative data (you can find Vinoshipper’s CiderCon presentation on our membership website after logging in). Their cider sales increased 10% last year. That’s direct to consumer cider sales!

My point? CIDER IS STILL GROWING and that’s the story we have to be sharing.

P.S. Have you sent your UPCs to Nielsen? ALL OF THEM? Please make sure you are being counted! Contact Nielsen to submit your labels.

It’s almost election time for your 2020 board of directors. We’ll be sending out electronic ballots to all of our Cidery-level active members on Wednesday and the ballot will be open until Friday morning, so keep your eyes peeled for that!

We want to thank Eric Foster of Stem Ciders, Brian Shanks of Bold Rock and Dan Young of Tandem Cider for their dedication and service to the board for the last 3 years. All three brought passion to their roles that helped us evolve the association to what we are today. Thank you for your contributions!

Please meet your 2020 board candidates:

At Large

Phillippe Bishop, Alpenfire Cider, Washington

I am a partner in Alpenfire Cider, a small, family-run cidery based in Northwestern WA. We planted our orchard back in 2003 specifically for making cider and have seen lots of growth and changes in the industry since then. I primarily handle the sales side of things in and out of our region, but with any small company we all wear many hats. I believe the American Cider Association has been doing a good job operating as a megaphone for the whole industry nationwide.  I have worked with the association on projects like the CCP and Lexicon, as well as spoken at CiderCon in the past. I now feel it is time for me to step up and take a more vocal role in the national community.

A couple goals I would like to work on is increasing communication with the on and off premise trade and distribution side of things, making it easier for them to sell our products to the trade or to the consumer with proper language that can be easily understood. Part of my background is working for a small craft focused distributor and seeing the challenges and frustrations on both sides of the sales and producers game. I would like to help the association come up with economical and straightforward ways to remediate that. Additionally, being a grower producer from an apple growing region we know there are a lot of wonderful apple growers and varieties not being utilized. I would like to find way to bridge the gap between grower and producer. Due to our size we have to turn away fruit every year that could make some exciting cider and I would like to find a way to make it easier for growers to find producers and vice-versa.

Lyndon Smith, Botanist and Barrel, North Carolina

I am a co-founder of Botanist and Barrel. In 2009, I launched a natural wine distribution company.  I left to follow my passion for agriculture.  Along with my family, I created Cedar Grove Blueberry Farm and Botanist & Barrel’s Farmhouse Cidery in 2015.  I established NC’s first wild and spontaneous festival, and Funk Down on the Farm. I love research, analytics, supporting local farms, native fruits and southern terroir.

As a board member I’d bring innovative and creative ideas with a rising tide mentality.   As cider pros we have our own language to describe different styles of cider; BUT do these terms mean anything to consumers? To grow our market, we need to identify consumer preferences through focus groups and learn what consumers listen for as they choose cider.  We must develop the vocabulary, the marketing & the imagery that resonates with cider drinkers to expand the cider audience as a whole. We can develop and create actionable promotional materials and packaging by reverse engineering how we talk about cider using empirical data.  For example “brewing hard cider” was the 16th most searched for term on google in the last 30 days, so we have our work cut out for us. 

We all produce amazing beverages.  Let’s make sure we can prosper.

Ned Lawton, Ethic Ciders, California

Together with my wife, I brought Ethic Ciders to life in 2015 after purchasing a farm and old apple orchard in Sebastopol, California. Five years into tending to the land through regenerative farming practices, our orchard is now 100-percent organically certified and has been declared by the NCRS a test site for implementation of the first ever carbon-farming apple orchard. I believe that cider can be a leader as a sustainable land-based beverage and as a healthy choice for consumers. As a board member, I would identify opportunities to share this message. I also believe the association can be a tremendous resource for small cideries when it comes to compliance, the TTB, regulations and policy, and I would champion these efforts. My goal would be to engage with the board and the government affairs committee as a voice for small orchard-based cideries. I love cider because of the potential for it to connect people with the land, and I think I can bring that perspective to the board. I’m inspired to lend my contributions to the association and work together to pursue our market growth as a long-term strategy that celebrates all sectors of cider, including small orchard-based operations.

Mountain West: AZ, CO, NM, NV, UT, WY, SD, ND, KS, NE, OK, TX

Talia Haykin, Haykin Family Cider, Colorado

I am the co-founder of Haykin Family Cider with my husband, Daniel. Prior and concurrent to that, I run my freelance marketing company and served as the Chief Marketing Officer for large non-profits in Denver. I developed a social media Masters program for DU. Within our business, I do every job from bottling to shipping to selling to marketing. Every successful market is stratified and that is important for our cider market as well. However, all types of producers should feel like they have a voice. I’d like to bring a small, harvest-based producer voice to the association, advocating on behalf of apples and smaller producers. That being said, collaboration/cooperation/camaraderie are key. A rising tide lifts all boats and a successful cider industry, benefits us all.

Casie Wiginton, Texas Keeper, Texas

I am the Taproom Manager of Texas Keeper Cider in Austin, a level 1 CCP and currently in pursuit to be a Certified Pommelier. With a 22-year background in the industry and large reaching organizations like the American Cheese Society, I believe an emphasis on education and community engagement are necessary to broaden the reach of the cider world. I bring a unique perspective to the American Cider Association’s Board of Directors by providing a bridge to business owners, their staff, and customers. I am not a Cidermaker nor CEO but an advocate for education, community engagement, and broadening the reach of the craft world. I intend to develop resources to nurture and grow a diffuse circle of artisans into a robust community in touch with those they affect and inspire. I believe that my passion and skills honed thus far will drive a flow of communication and engagement across the Mountain West region, necessary for continued growth of our industry.

Pacific Coast: CA, HI

Sarah Hemly, Hemly Cider, California

In 2015 I co-founded Hemly Cider in Courtland California as an estate grown cider company with a unique passion for pears . I run the cider company and my husband grows the fruit.   If elected, I bring to the board experience with getting pear pumice on every inch of my clothing. Today, we in the cider industry have a unique opportunity to create a movement, grow our market and impact the global economy.  An important point of differentiation from other alcoholic beverage industries that is notably relevant in today’s market. The one thing every one of us in the cider industry has in common: Trees.  Here in California companies like Ethic Cider are brilliantly promoting the fact that apple trees contribute to carbon sequestration.  Recently, Greta Thunberg and George Monbiot proposed planting and preserving trees as a tool to combat global climate change.  Can we, as an industry unite under one cause, promote cider, disrupt the market and stand for something bigger than ourselves?   #DrinkCider, better for you, better for the planet.  

Nicole Todd, Santa Cruz Cider Company, California

I began my fermentation career in 2005 at Bonny Doon Vineyard, then changed gears to work at a brewery and found my love for cider with a truck bed of found apples. I started Santa Cruz Cider Co with my husband and my sister in 2013. We have grown slowly and organically by building our cidery from the ground up.  Having my own small business keeps me involved in every step of the industry, from orchards, pressing, packaging and selling. I have worked closely with other local cidermakers and growers to create a community that shares resources to help us all grow.  I would like to help create this for the Pacific region of the American Cider Association by building a network that all Pacific cidermakers (and beyond) can benefit from. We can accomplish this by growing the educational platform, promoting cider legislation and by sharing information and resources on fruit sourcing, packaging materials, equipment, etc.  This in turn will create a stronger community that represents all of us. 

Pacific Northwest: OR, WA, ID, MT, AK

Marcus Robert, Tieton Ciderworks, Washington

I am the Cider Maker and Co-Owner of Tieton Cider Works.  I am a fourth-generation farmer and still own and operate the same family orchard I grew up on in the Yakima Valley.  My wife and I also own a small winery where I have been making and selling wine for nearly two decades.   Our Northwest Region is particularly special in that we grow more than twice as many apples than the rest of the nation combined.  We also have the highest per capita consumption of cider in the country.  Our overall investments and opportunity in the Northwest cider market is enormous, legislation permitting.  Whether we know it or not, the rules and regulations that our industry abides by are the limiting factors to getting our products to our consumers.  My goal is to help ease those regulatory factors while keeping the purity of product secure.  I will continue to push for legislative changes that provide our members with real and lasting value.

Midwest: IA, IL, IN, MI, MN, MO, OH, WI, KY

John Behrens, Farmhaus Cider, Michigan

I am the co-founder and owner of Farmhaus Cider located in Hudsonville, Michigan along with my wife, Megan.  I also serve as the President of the Michigan Cider Association as well as recently helping to oversee GLINTCAP, the world’s largest cider competition.  Prior to starting Farmhaus, I worked as a CPA for 10 years, first in general practice and then transitioning into corporate roles, experiences that I believe would be valuable to the board. I believe the cider industry has built a very solid grassroots foundation, but for us to get to the next level we need to work together to market cider to a much wider audience.  We are uniquely positioned as an industry to capitalize on changing consumer tastes, but for that to happen, cider in a wide variety of styles needs to go mainstream.  The American Cider Association has an important role to play in helping achieve that goal.

I also feel a strong legislative presence is important to the continued growth of cider.  If we are going to even the playing field with beer, wine and spirits we need to appear just as important to our representatives in Washington.  I believe the American Cider Association has done a lot of good work in this area, but more work remains.  

Large Cidery (>1M gallons)

Dave Takush, 2 Towns Ciderhouse, Oregon

My passion for fermentation led me to join two childhood friends in starting 2 Towns Ciderhouse in Corvallis, Oregon where I am co-owner and head cidermaker. Now one of the largest cider producers in the nation, 2 Towns has over 100 employees and is dedicated to producing quality craft cider from 100-percent, fresh-pressed Pacific Northwest apples. I am so darn excited to be running for the large cidery board position for the American Cider Association. As a board member, I intend to help promote positivity and unity within the cider community. I will focus my efforts on encouraging legislative initiatives that will bring positive change for all industry members.

CiderCon® is less than two weeks away! We have conference updates to share, but there is so much more to tell you about. First thing first, though…

• CiderCon®! 
  • Today is the last day to register at the $395 price. Head over to the website and sign up to take advantage of the savings. 
  • We’ve lined up near 100 amazing speakers for this year’s conference, including the newly added John “The Apple Whisperer” Bunker! His book will be available in the CiderCon® bookstore. We’ve just updated our schedule grid. Take a peek here.
  • Our trade show is full of amazing vendors. Preview the event, and if you are interested in purchasing one of our limited trade show only passes, contact us. 
  • Did you hear William Mullan and his odd apples are coming? 
  • Want to know more? The conference app is back! To get it: (1) Download Attendify (2) Search for CiderCon (3) Use the event code GoEkos. Thank you, Ekos for sponsoring this year’s app.
• Winter Member Webinar
  • On February 7 we are thrilled to have Maria Pearman of Perkins & Company speak with our members about how to take advantage of the savings in the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act. This webinar is free for members and $30 for non-members. Sign up here. 
• New Sales Tools
  • Our marketing committee has developed these handouts to help you educate your accounts about cider. Take a look at our brand new on-premise tool, complete with food pairing tips, and our updated off-premise tool. You can find these at any time on the resources page of our website. Stay tuned for more tools like this! 
• Certified Cider Professional program
  • We’ve updated both the introductory exam and the more advanced Certified Pommelier^TM test. You can learn about these changes and more here. 
• New Swag
  • We’ve stocked a ton of new t-shirts in our digital storefront! Check it out here. 
• Dry Cider January
  • We list over 200 0g sugar ciders in our Dry Cider Directory now! If you haven’t uploaded your no-sugar ciders yet, please do that here. Note that inclusion in the directory is for members only. 

We have some exciting announcements about the Certified Cider Professional (CCP) program! We first launched the CCP program in 2016, and it has continually evolved to meet the needs of our ideal audience in allied industries. What do food and beverage professionals need to know about cider to sell more of it to happy consumers? That remains our guiding question.

Here are some of the exciting changes we’ve made!

• We evolved our style guide into a cider lexicon. It was industry input that lead us to these changes. The lexicon is still open for feedback and you can preview it here. Please reach out with questions at lexicon@ciderassociation.org. It is a developing tool, but our exams and study guides are now emphasizing five cider families instead of styles. Additionally, we focus on the established scientific classifications for apples: bittersweet, bittersharp, sweet and sharp.
• We launched Version 3 of the introductory Certified Cider Professional exam to reflect the above changes and refine questions. We’ve updated our study guide accordingly. Exam links on the CCP website now direct you to the updated test.
• We adapted the Certified Pommelier™ exam and study guide to reflect the new direction of the lexicon project. These can also be found on the CCP website. The next test, taking place in Oakland, California during CiderCon®, contains these changes. The exam emphasizes these topics in order of relative importance: (1) Flavors and Families (2) Apples & The Orchard (3) Cider Making (4) Food Pairing (5) Evaluating Family (6) Keeping & Serving.
• We’ve redesigned the sensory portion of the Certified Pommelier™ exam. After much review, we felt that doctored samples were not representative of the skill we were hoping to test: the ability to evaluate a cider and all its characteristics. The flaw identification portion of the exam has therefore changed. Instead of being asked to id flaws students will be asked to evaluate three ciders. These ciders may or may not contain characteristics perceived as flaws. They will not be doctored. A structured sensory analysis worksheet will be provided for the exam. You can view a sample of that worksheet and learn more here. (Students should still know specified flaws and their causes).
• We created a Facebook group for potential Certified Pommelier™ test takers. The emphasis is on peer learning. We are encouraging Certified Pommeliers to join the group and share their wisdom and for those studying to share their resources.

In 2020 you can expect:

• More opportunities to take the Certified Pommelier™ exam
• The launch of an online training for the introductory Certified Cider Professional program
• Announcements about specialty certificates in topics like draft systems for cider
• The development of more published study materials for both the introductory level and the more advanced Certified Pommelier™
•  New tools such as a CCP directory

Watch our website for the announcement of future exam possibilities. Demand for the CCP program is growing, and we are rising to meet that demand!

Visit here to sign up for the Certified Pommelier on January 28 in Oakland.

After 8 years using the title of United States Association of Cider Makers, or American Cider Association for short, the cider industry trade group has updated its brand. On December 31, 2019, the group unveiled its shorter, more direct name—The American Cider Association. It also released its new logo, created by graphic designer Randi Karabin of SIP Publishing.

The American Cider Association says the new look and name go hand in hand with new aggressive strategies to grow the cider industry, including achieving legislative and regulatory goals on behalf of the association’s members.

“We’re doing so much more in DC than we were 4 years ago. We’re speaking up for common sense labeling regulations, lobbying for legislation to lower excise taxes, campaigning for the permitted use of harvest dates on cider labels over 7% ABV, pushing for 355ml as an approved volume of fill, supporting transparency on labels regarding state of origin for apples, and more,” executive director, Michelle McGrath detailed.\

“Cider is a grassroots industry, but it generates over a billion dollars in annual sales. We’re ready for the next evolution of our trade association,” she continued. “Cidermakers will always be our #1 audience, but Congress is rising in importance. Lobbying with our old name was challenging. People often found it confusing, and you lost them about halfway through. It was long! American Cider Association is much more straightforward.”

Last August, the Cider Association’s board members gathered in DC to support the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act. That experience illuminated the need to rebrand. With unanimous support from the board, McGrath engaged diverse stakeholders to instruct the look and name. “There are quite a few names and logos on the cutting room floor,” McGrath said. “We embraced the best options for a professional trade association.”

Another goal is for the Cider Association to support more campaigns directed toward consumers and trade. “We will continue utilizing our Pick Cider® brand for those efforts,” she said.

“Our goals are designed to support the full diversity of producers in the industry,” said board member Eleanor Leger. “From the larger cideries that are raising cider’s visibility in the broader marketplace to the hundreds of small farm-based cideries showcasing unique apple varieties and cidermaking approaches.”

The American Cider Association’s assets will update to the new name and logo throughout the week, and a brand sheet is available on their website: www.ciderassociation.org.

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Brand Sheet

The American Cider Association is an organization of cider and perry producers in the United States. Their mission is to grow a diverse and successful U.S. cider industry by providing valuable information, resources and services to our members and by advocating on their behalf.

We are actively recruiting individuals from US-based cider companies to run for the board of directors. These are volunteer positions with a three year commitment. Active membership of the association is required. Board seats up for election this year include:

Regional Chairs (4) (under 1M g/yr)

• Midwest (IA, IL, IN, MI, MN, MO, OH, WI, KY)
• Northwest (OR, WA, ID, MT, AK)
• Mountain West (AZ, CA, CO, NM, NV, UT, WY, SD, ND, KS, NE, OK, TX)
• Pacific Coast (CA, HI)

At Large (1)

• We are strongly encouraging producer-growers making less than 25,000 gal/year to run for this seat.

Please email Michelle if you would like to learn more about this opportunity. Get to know our current board here.

Cider Association Elects 2019 Board of Directors
Paul Vander Heide of Michigan Reelected as President

Portland, OR (February 8, 2019) –The American Cider Association (American Cider Association) elects a new slate of directors and officers each year during its annual meeting which takes place during CiderCon – the industry conference for American Cider Association members held each February. CiderCon 2019 took place at the Hilton Chicago from February 5 to February 8. At CiderCon this week, American Cider Association welcomed new leaders, reelected others and thanked those retiring their service for all they have done to support a growing cider industry.

Paul Vander Heide of Vander Mill Cider in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been reelected to the office of President by the American Cider Association Board of Directors. Paul has served on the American Cider Association board since February 2016. During that time, he has been committee chair for American Cider Association’s Certified Cider Professional program, a cider credentials program similar to Cicerone for beer. Paul had previously served as American Cider Association Secretary and Vice President before being elected American Cider Association’s President.

“The beverage industry continues to change at a rapid pace and cider has its own unique challenges and opportunities,” said Vander Heide. “We are stronger when we work together, and I’m proud to continue to do my part to advocate for cider industry stakeholders across the country.”

Vander Heide also sits on the boards of the Michigan Cider Association and the Cider Institute of North America.

“This is the first year American Cider Association members have been allowed to vote for board members whether or not they were physically present at CiderCon,” says Michelle McGrath, Executive Director of American Cider Association. “We made the change to ensure that all members have a voice in the selection of the American Cider Association leadership team.”

ADDITIONAL American Cider Association BOARD OFFICERS FOR 2019
Brooke Glover of Swilled Dog Hard Cider in Franklin, West Virginia, was elected as American Cider Association’s Vice President. Brooke joined the American Cider Association Board in 2018 and will continue to serve as a Member At Large.
Ben Calvi of Vermont Hard Cider Company in Middlebury, Vermont returns for a second term on the board and was reelected as Treasurer by the 2019 American Cider Association Board of Directors.
Eric Foster of Stem Ciders in Lafeyette, Colorado, serving the third year of his first term, was reelected by the board to continue as the Secretary of American Cider Association.

OTHER DIRECTORS: In addition to its Officers, the American Cider Association Board consists of Regional Chairs, Members At Large and three Large Cidery Seats. Eleanor Leger, Eden Specialty Ciders of Vermont and David C. Thorton from James Creek Cider House of North Carolina have been elected to represent Eastern and Southern cideries respectively. Leger returns for her second term after a one-year hiatus. “I would like to support and promote the work of regional associations, and will work to build a strong and vibrant cider community in the Northeast,” says Leger.

Commenting on his election, Thorton says, “I’m pleased to be able to contribute to the board’s current ‘big tent’ philosophy in promoting the growth of the industry at large by aiding in the definition and standardization of product language, and through consumer education about various product styles. I feel strongly that development of cider as a beverage sector will open doors for smaller orchard based and niche producers to increase sales by increasing awareness.”

Continuing their service on the board are these Regional Board Chairs:
Eric Foster of Stem Ciders in Colorado representing the Mountain West;
Marcus Robert of Tieton Ciderworks in Washington representing the Northwest; and,
Dan Young of Tandem Cider in Michigan representing the Midwest.

In addition to their board officer duties, Paul Vander Heide has been reelected as an At Large Member, and American Cider Association Treasurer Ben Calvi has been elected a Large Cidery board member. Other At Large board members include Brooke Glover of Swilled Dog Hard Cider and Sam Fitz of ANXO Cider in Washington DC. Additional Large Cidery board members include Brian Shanks of Bold Rock Cider in Virginia and Ryan Burk of Angry Orchard in New York.

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MISSION: The American Cider Association is an organization of cider and perry producers in the United States. Its mission is to grow a diverse and successful U.S. cider industry by providing valuable information, resources and services to American Cider Association members and by advocating on their behalf.

For more Information Contact:
Michelle McGrath | Executive Director
American Cider Association
Michelle@ciderassociation.org

American Cider Association

michelle@ciderassociation.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The beer, wine and spirits industries all have recognized certification programs designed for food and beverage professionals. The hard cider industry has had its own version—the Certified Cider Professional (CCP) program—since 2016 through the American Cider Association (American Cider Association). Until recently, the CCP program only had one level, geared toward cider servers. Next month American Cider Association administers the exam for the second level of the CCP program for the first time. It’s being touted as their ‘pilot’ exam and will be offered in Chicago during their annual trade conference, CiderCon. Those who pass the test, with its mix of short answer, essay and tasting oriented questions, will earn the title of Certified Pommelier™. American Cider Association announced a study guide for test-taker hopefuls on their website today.

The study guide covers six sections: Apples, the Orchard & History; Cider Making; Flavor & Evaluation; Cider Styles (US and Europe); Keeping & Serving; Food & Cider. These are the same topics covered in the level one exam, but there are noticeable differences in the suggested study concepts for the two tests. To start, the list of apples to know is greatly expanded, for the new exam. Test takers are told they should be able to assign to the apples to region, style and classes bittersharp, bittersweet, sweet or sharp. These classes are determined by acid and tannin levels. The second key difference is the inclusion of traditional European cider styles for the UK, Spain, France and Germany.

“The test is designed to be challenging,” says American Cider Association’s executive director, Michelle McGrath. “Studying is highly recommended. We have some handouts on certain topics available on our website, but the books in our recommended reading list are going to be very helpful preparation.”

“If test takers don’t have experience identifying cider flaws, we suggest they sign up for the ‘Elements of Cider Workshop’ being offered in Chicago on February 5. The instructor, Charles McGonegal, has been teaching people how to distinguish cider characteristics for many years.”

McGrath explains that the expansion of the CCP program is all part of the association’s vision that bars, restaurants and retailers celebrate the diversity of the cider category. American Cider Association’s recent release of version 2.0 of their cider style guide works toward that same goal.

“Cider sales were up 10% in 2018,” added McGrath. “Enthusiasm is growing, and we hope, an expanded awareness of the cider category as a whole can help further sustain this growth.”

The association plans to offer the test four additional times in 2019. Dates and locations are yet to be announced.

You can sign up for the Certified Pommelier exam and find study aides at ciderassociation.org/certification.

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How does a cider vacation sound? Pretty good? Well, here is a chance to go on one for FREE! To enter, simply book your room for CiderCon 2019 in Chicago at the Hilton by January 18!

GRAND PRIZE: We’re giving away “The Ultimate California Cider Vacation” to one lucky winner to attend CiderCon 2020 in California. What’s included?

• Airfare to Oakland or San Francisco, California (including transportation expenses from the airport to the hotel)
• 5 nights lodging at the Oakland Marriott
• FREE CiderCon 2020 registration in Oakland, CA–including tours (SONOMA! or SANTA CRUZ?!) & tastings!
• A $50 Gift Card to Redfield Cider or Crooked City Cider–winner’s choice
• VIP cider share entry
• Free tickets to the Bay Area Cider Week event of your choice

GRAND PRIZE RULES

• Airfare is for continental US only. Foreign tickets will be provided an equivalent travel stipend up to a max amount.
• Airfare is for 1 person.
• Airfare and hotel are only good for the week of CiderCon 2020: January 27-February 1, 2020.
• Winner’s name will be pulled at CiderCon 2019. Name on entry ticket is based on name given to reservation desk at the Hilton Chicago.
• Reservations at the Hilton CiderCon 2019 must be confirmed and fulfilled to qualify.

FIRST PRIZE: Want your Hilton Chicago room comped for CiderCon 2019? We’ll be choosing one lucky winner to do just that! We’ll through in a gift certificate for $50 to The Northman Chicago, too!  We will comp up to 3 nights hotel maximum.

SECOND PRIZE: American Cider Association board member cider prize! 1 lucky person will go home with a box of cider from our board member’s respective cideries all over the country.

How to enter?

(1) To enter, you must stay at the Hilton Chicago when attending CiderCon 2019 in Chicago. CiderCon 2019 attendees staying offsite will not qualify.

(2) Hilton reservations must be made by January 18, 2019 to qualify for entry.

(3) Hilton reservations must be completed–canceled reservations will not qualify.

(4) Winner names will be pulled based on reservation holders name.

(5) Sorry, former or current American Cider Association board members or staff do not qualify for entry.