Marina Sumrada’s journey into the world of cider started long before she earned her Certified Pommelier designation. Originally from a small town in Pennsylvania, Marina first got a taste of the cider world over five years ago. But it wasn’t until she moved to the Pacific Northwest that her cider obsession truly fermented! Now, as the Marketing Manager for Brand Partnerships at Schilling Cider, Marina is living her dream – working alongside a team of brilliant, talented people she adores every day.

Her passion for cider goes beyond just sipping it – Marina is stoked about educating others and sharing the joy of craft cider. A particular highlight for her has been working on National Cider Month, where she collaborates with cideries of all sizes and styles across the country. She feels incredibly lucky to connect with so many like-minded cider enthusiasts, skilled makers, and industry friends on a daily basis.

When she’s not raising a glass of cider, Marina’s busy spreading the word about the beverage that has stolen her heart. Whether it’s creating connections, sharing her expertise, or simply posting about the latest & greatest cider she’s tried on her cider-focused @malusmarina Instagram profile, she’s ready to help take the cider scene to new heights and bring new cider friends along for the ride.

Taylor Corrigan (she/they) is a long time cider enthusiast. She started her journey with a bottle of Finnriver Pear cider that was sold at her previous job. After a few years of visiting the cider garden and enjoying many a drink she finally got herself a job there! Working with some great folks and learning so much information about cider she decided to take it to the next level. Taylor, along with being a parent of two young children, is also a dancer and perfomer focusing on fusion belly dance. She can even balance a bottle of cider on her head!

Maia Wohlert began her journey in cider in 2021 after graduating from Eckerd College with a bachelors in biology and moving to Seattle. Her introduction into the world of cider began at Dragon’s Head Cider under the guidance of Laura Cherry and Levi Danielson. Maia learned the ins and outs of orcharding, production, and cider sales, and discovered her love for cider making. She is currently working as the cidermaker at Greenwood Cider and experiments with small batches of cider at home. Maia loves a traditional French and Spanish style cider, and she will never say no to a Pet Nat.

Ava Davis is a longtime cider enthusiast turned advocate. Based in the Pacific Northwest, she spreads her love and passion for cider via her cider focused Instagram account. Showcasing the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest, she aims to entertain, educate, and promote cider. She truly believes that cider is for everyone and that there is a cider for everybody! In her spare time she enjoys hiking, paddle boarding, and reading.

Adam Wargacki is a biochemist, orchardist, and winemaker born, raised and living in the Puget Sound.

Returning home from a Bay Area biotech startup where he had helped invent the fermentation of seaweed into commodity alcohols and biofuels. – In 2012 Adam took up care of an old family orchard in Shelton, began foraging for pears on Anderson Island, and undertook an intensive study of remnant homestead orchards in Seattle’s public spaces.

Assembling a “Pomona” of over 200 historic books on fruit variety, horticulture, and winemaking – he learned that the working orchard is an important historic metaphor for thriving families and communities embedded harmoniously in nature. In 2015, Adam planted Empyrical Orchards in Snohomish, Washington. This collection of cider-apple, perry-pear, quince and pome-seedlings has since grown to 7 acres and 1,500 trees. His three children have room to play within its double-spaced rows. The crop from those trees sustains Empyrical Cider, founded with his wife Elizabeth in 2022.

Empyrical starts with respect for the very best of nature and tradition, followed by relentless experimentation to continually elevate the intensity, quality and perceived value of cider and perry.

Andrew Byers trained as a culinary botanist and has many years of experience in kitchens and orchards. As head cidermaker at Finnriver Farm and Cidery in Chimacum, WA for the last 10 years he has focused on a network of small scale, organic sources of fruit and botanicals in the PNW. He also currently serves on the board of the Northwest Cider Association.

Ashley Wilson stumbled upon the cider industry in 2021, but soon fell in love. She started off as a production associate at Locust Cider in Gig Harbor, WA where her mentors nurtured her interest into passion. She has since traveled to Roseland, VA to broaden her experience as Head Cidermaker at Bryant’s Cider. Ashley takes special interest experimenting with botanical and creating unique small batch ciders. She looks forward to furthering her craft and sharing the love of cider by joining the team at Schilling Cider in Auburn, WA.

Ashley chose to take the Certified Pommelier exam to further her education. She aspires to become an industry expert to help spark intrigue and provide guidance so others may also find pleasure in cider.

Jessica is a former cider slinger and overly-educated enthusiast with a graphic design habit. She resides in the Pacific Northwest and loves supporting all her wonderful cider friends making great local products.

Jessica chose to pursue a Pommelier™ certification for the challenge, to improve her knowledge and palate, and to build her community.

Find out what she’s tasting on Instagram @jessicashortcake.

Walker Smith and his wife are slowing growing Goldeneye Cider, currently a cidery-in-planning. They are located in Whatcom County, Washington, just south of the Canadian border and west of the Cascade Mountains. It’s important for them to maintain and enhance the connection between sustainable agriculture and cider while also protecting and utilizing the wild spaces. What that in mind, they collect from unmanaged trees and co-ferment with native fruits to produce a line of ciders that showcase the local flavors of Whatcom County.

Walker decided to take the Certified Pommelier™ exam to test his knowledge, train his palate, connect with other passionate cider professionals and continue learning how best to connect sustainable agriculture, local food systems and habitat restoration.

Cam Workman has worked both on-premise and off-premise wine in bars and wine retail, as a production and packaging lead at a fancy Midwest jam and cocktail syrup company, in a variety of food service positions, a coffee roaster, and poured freelance wine tastings for public and private events. Cam thinks he’s finally found a path he wants to focus on: making cider. He’s also found a home in Seattle, where he works at Schilling Cider as the manager of their Quality Assurance team. He spends his days solving interesting puzzles, coming up with new ideas, working with fantastic people, and using magic to build some radical spreadsheets that support their awesome team. He’s always thought he’d be working in wine, but the exact moment he discovered cider he realized that he’d stumbled into something amazing that he knew he wanted to be a part of. He can’t wait to spend the next years of his life getting to know everyone and learning as much as he can!

He chose to become a Certified Pommelier™ because he’s hoping to use what he’s learned in his time as a cidermaker to help guide and grow the industry! The Pommelier certification seemed like a way to help give him a little extra sparkle.