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CiderCon® Scholarships Continue for 2023 Conference
Yonder Cider, Beer Kulture and the American Cider Association have partnered to continue CiderCon® scholarship opportunities this year. These scholarships are designed to bring new BIPOC individuals into the cider industry. The scholarship includes: registration to CiderCon®; travel and lodging; Certified Cider Professional Level 1 bundle (including the exam); two Certified Cider Professional Sensory Webinars; and the registration fee for the Certified Pommelier™ Exam. Applications can be found here and the deadline to apply is December 10, 2022. Recipients will be contacted to schedule a brief interview and winners of the scholarship will be notified on December 21, 2022. CiderCon® 2023 takes place January 31 – February 3, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois.
Cider Share at CiderCon® 2023
Join us for our beloved welcoming reception, Cider Share, at CiderCon® 2023! The Cider Share reception will take place Wednesday, February 1 from 5:00 to 8:00pm.
Haven’t been to a Cider Share before? Here’s what to expect:
50 (yes 50!) cideries from around the country and the world will be serving their ciders for attendees to enjoy. Learn about the ciders from the cidermakers and their staff, meet fellow cidermakers from your region, mingle with other CiderCon® attendees to connect with old friends or make new ones! Cider Share will be limited to 400 people this year so make sure to add Cider Share during the registration process! Tickets are $20.
Want to serve your cider at Cider Share? Here’s how:
Featured cideries will be chosen using a lottery along with considerations of geography and style. If you would like to be considered as a featured cidery at Cider Share 2023, please select that choice during the CiderCon® registration process. The lottery drawing will be held in early December and those selected will be notified via email with further details.
Two Weekend Events on VA Cider Trail
Apples abound this weekend at exciting harvest events taking place at two stops on the Virginia Cider Trail. If you’re looking for a fun family weekend event, there’s no need to look any further than these two appealing harvest festivals. Read on to learn where to go, when to be there, and what will be happening!
22nd Annual Apple Harvest Festival with Albemarle Ciderworks
Date & Time: November 5 starting at 10am
Join Albemarle Ciderworrks for one of the most anticipated festivals of autumn, the Apple Harvest Festival hosted by the CoveGarden Ruritans and Albemarle CiderWorks!
Find farmers’ market vendors, meet local artisans, and craftsmen demonstrating their skills. Enjoy Brunswick stew and apple butter or grab some to go. Dig your teeth into a variety of apples and taste an array of Albemarle CiderWorks’ fine sparkling ciders. Dance the afternoon away with live music from local bands, and take a hayride around the mountain.
Apple Harvest Festival and Makers Market at Sage Bird Ciderworks
Date & Time: November 5 starting at 11am
Join Sage Bird Ciderworks to celebrate their favorite things: apples and fall!
Cider pressing, heirloom and cider apple tasting with Glaize Orchards, a cider release, mulled cider and cider donuts, food trucks, local makers and crafters, and live music will light up the festivities all day Saturday.
ACA Welcomes Wine Industry Professional Sunny Gandara as CiderCon® 2023 Keynote Speaker
The American Cider Association welcomes wine industry professional Sunny Gandara, DipWSET, CWE as the featured keynote speaker for CiderCon® 2023. Sunny is the former Global Wine Director for the Mathew Kenney Restaurant Group and the founder and owner of The Plant Curious Table, a digital dual-purpose education and wine consulting company. Sunny has nearly 20 years of experience in the food and wine industry with a focus on plant-based foods. Her expertise is connecting with “plant curious” clientele over her wine knowledge. She is a Certified Wine Educator and Specialist of Spirits through the Society of Wine Educators and a holder of the WSET Diploma. She is a professionally trained chef through the Institute for Culinary Education (ICE) in New York and a Vinitaly Italian Wine Ambassador.
According to the Plant Based Foods Association, “one-third of Americans are actively reducing their meat and dairy consumption. While a small number of Americans identify as vegetarian or vegan, flexitarians represent the largest growth opportunity for plant-based foods.” 60% of Gen-Z wants to eat more plant-based foods and 79% eat plant-based 1-2 times a week. This is where Sunny’s “plant curious” lens can help open new markets up for cider.
As the keynote speaker, Sunny will explore vegan market growth and trends, who plant-based consumers are, why cider is perfect for this growing group, and how to market to these consumers.
CiderCon® 2023 will take place in Chicago from January 31 to February 3, 2023, at the beautiful Hilton Chicago. Early registration closes November 9. Learn more about all our fantastic speakers at www.ciderassocation.org.
Nielsen Q3 2022 Data Now Available
Regional Cider Brand sales were up 11.3% in U.S. retail channels measured by Nielsen for the 12-week period ending on October 1, 2022. For more Q3 data, log into your ACA membership account and visit our members-only report library.
Spooky Cider Cocktails
Live Sensory Analysis Webinar with Ploughman’s Cider
Looking to up your sensory analysis skills? Studying for the Certified Pommelier™ Exam at CiderCon® 2023? Join our Certified Pommelier™ panel in a live practice sensory webinar featuring cider from Ploughman’s Cider on November 17 from 4-6pm Pacific. Cost to attend the workshop is $15 for ACA members and $30 for non-members.
This webinar will also be available to rewatch and practice as a prerecorded event.
Ploughman’s has generously created a limited time Sensory Analysis Bundle for this webinar. You can purchase the cider bundle here.
Virginia Cider Trail Fall Events
Fall has officially arrived and apple harvest season is in full swing across Virginia! To celebrate, cidermakers across the state are hosting harvest festivals, pressing parties and cider release events. They would like to invite you to join in their celebrations of the cidermaking season with orchard parties and more. Check out the list below to find a fun event in your neck of the woods or one further afield if you’re looking for a fall weekend getaway!
- October 14: Harvest Release Party & Foodlore Friday at Troddenvale Cider
- October 15: 6th Anniversary Harvest Party at Blue Bee Cider
- October 15: Pomona Party at Cider From Mars
- October 15-16: Fall Festival at Coyote Hole Ciderworks
- October 15-16: Harvest Fest & Sunday Brunch at Courthouse Creek Cider
- October 15-16: Bryant’s Fall Festival at Bryant’s Cider & Brewery
- October 22: OkTOADerfest 2022 at Blue Toad Hard Cider
- October 22-23: Haunted Trail at Coyote Hole Ciderworks
- October 29: Halloween Street Party at Tumbling Creek Cider Company
- October 29: Halloween Dance Party at Stable Craft Brewing
- October 29-30: Haunted Trail at Coyote Hole Ciderworks
- November 5: 22nd Annual Apple Harvest Festival at Albemarle Ciderworks
- November 5: Apple Harvest Festival & Makers Market at Sage Bird Ciderworks
- November 11: Buskey Hewes Crab Cider Release Party at Buskey Cider
- November 11: Cider Smackdown at Albemarle Ciderworks
- November 12: Apple Butter Festival at Bryant’s Cider & Brewery
- November 12: Lake Anna Cider Festival at Coyote Hole Ciderworks
- November 12: VA Cider Week Kick-Off Party at Cider From Mars
- November 19: Cider & Sides Dinner with Henway Hard Cider
- November 19: Harvest Hoedown at Potter’s Craft Cider
We hope you’ll take the time to visit one or more of these fantastic fall events and learn more about Virginia apples and the ciders made from them. And don’t forget to check in on your Virginia Cider Trail Passport for a chance to earn prizes!
ACA Announces Registration is Now Open for CiderCon® 2023!
The American Cider Association is pleased to announce that CiderCon® 2023 will take place in Chicago, Illinois from January 31 – February 3, 2023. With tours, tastings, educational workshops, demos and more, CiderCon®’s Chicago homecoming is set to be an educational celebration of all things cider. Registration opened on September 29, 2022.
After a four year hiatus, the return of CiderCon® to Chicago has been much anticipated and the ACA has been working with folks on the ground in the Windy City to make the homecoming spectacular. This includes four exciting tour options: a look at Chicago’s history through the lens of taverns, a tour of the Bronzeville neighborhood in Chicago’s historical south side, a tour visiting three unique Chicago-based cideries, and a cider and architecture tour featuring the stunning works of world-famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
A full range of educational sessions will cover topics of cider production, marketing, sales, branding, sensory evaluation, compliance, business strategy, orcharding and more. Speakers include Claude Jolicoeur (author of Cider Planet), Yann Gilles (cider and wine consultant from France), Lester Jones (Chief Economist from NBWA), Julie Rhodes (Not Your Hobby Marketing), Mary Mills (3 Tier Beverage), Dr. J Nikol Jackson-Beckham (Brewer’s Association and Crafted for All), Elizabeth Ryan (Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider), Bryan Roth (Good Beer Hunting), Liz Garibay (Chicago Brewseum), Elizabeth Garofalo (Red Tomato Food Hub) and many more, plus new presenters joining every day.
“We have so many amazing sessions already lined up and others in the works, “ said ACA Executive Director, Michelle McGrath. “We’re emphasizing cider quality, terroir and retail strategy this year. It’s been rewarding to think about the impact of CiderCon® on the industry, and to rise to the challenge of deepening that. CiderCon® is very special and we’re committed to improving it every year.”
The extensive trade show, presented by longstanding ACA partner FruitSmart, will feature many beloved vendors excited for the return of CiderCon® to Chicago and welcome several first time vendors eager to join the cider community and meet conference attendees.
Tickets to CiderCon® are just $425 for for ACA members if booked by October 22. After October 22, member registration rates become $475. Public tickets are $725 for early registration and $775 after October 22.
More information about the wide array of events and educational sessions being offered and registration can be found on the CiderCon® website and you can follow @cidercon on Twitter for the latest news. CiderCon® is an ACA event produced with the generous support of our members and ACA’s premier sponsor, FruitSmart.
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