Brad Winans grew up in and currently lives in northwest Pennsylvania, where he is a machinist by trade and a passionate amateur cidermaker. He moved into his current house in 2012, on what had been a family farm sub divided in the 1970s. His house sits on part of the old farm orchard with four apple and two pear trees which are probably 70 to 100 years old. In 2015 the northwest portion of Pennsylvania had an extremely good apple crop. With four standard apple trees producing a bumper crop he decided to build his first cider press. It was a stainless steel kettle with slots ground in the sides and an old woodworking vise screw and wooden press frame. At this time he read every book he could find on cider. Within the first season another steel press frame was designed. Then the following year the kettle was retired and he switched to a small rack and cloth press that he had built, using a hand operated bottle jack. About this time the hand operated apple grinder was switched to bicycle power. Fast forward a few years and the bottle jack was replaced with a hydraulic system and a back up air operated press was also built.

As he was devouring every book he could find on cider, he kept reading about Franklin County Cider Days in Massachusetts. So in 2017 he made the drive and discovered what real cider tastes like, and met other passionate cidermakers and orchardists. Attending Franklin County Cider Days over the years peaked his interest in the amateur cider competition, and the Certified Pommelier designation, which led to entering various local, state and world competitions. The intention of entering was to get honest feedback and to improve his cidermaking skills, but many ribbons have followed and much has been learned.

Brad is always ready to chat about apples, orcharding, home brewing, or to offer any advice that he can. Apple pressing commences every year at his home, with many apples being sourced from local orchards and backyards. It has grown to be quite the event and is not uncommon for 40 or more family and friends to attend. Brad enjoys inviting new people and explaining the process and spouting off random apple facts, and to educate people about all the different varieties of apples.

Jason Schmink earned his PhD in Chemistry in 2010 and as part of that “training,” developed an appreciation for fermentation science (and art) in his spare time. Jason has been a professional winemaker for Mount Hope Estate & Winery as well as the cidermaker for Lancaster County Cider, both in Manheim, Pennsylvania, since May 2019. 2019 was a big year, as he and his wife, Samantha, purchased a plot of land that summer and Jason immediately began planning his orchard. The first trees were planted in 2022 and Oak Tree Orchard was chartered in 2024. This year will see the first fermentation of estate and local fruit and honey. Oak Tree Orchard is committed to producing a farm-driven cider of the highest quality, and Jason is excited to introduce his community to a product that embodies his neck of the woods of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Claire Trindle is the founder of Blind Bear Beverages, offering immersive beverage workshops, bartending services, and a product line of cocktail ingredients. Her passion is sharing her expertise and love of craft beverages with consumers and fellow industry professionals. Beyond her business, Claire supports and advocates for the hard cider industry by presenting at craft beverage conferences and judging cider and perry competitions.

Claire’s industry experience includes roles as Taproom Manager at Hale & True Cider Co. and Philadelphia Brand Ambassador for Graft Cider. Claire was inspired to pursue the Certified Pommelier certification to enhance her credibility in the industry. She is proud to be Philadelphia’s first Certified Pommelier and Pennsylvania’s first female Certified Pommelier.

Dan Schreffler is the President and Winemaker at Space Time Mead & Cider Works which opened in Dunmore, Pennsylvania in 2018. They are an urban nano-winery that specializes in honey, apple and other fruit wines. Their cidermaking is small batch, harvest driven apples/pears from local orchards. 

Dan chose to pursue the Certified Pommelier™ designation to improve his knowledge and skills as a cidermaker. The knowledge he has gained while preparing for the exam and the improvements in his sensory skills allows him to better serve their increasingly knowledgeable cider customers.