CiderCon® 2026 recap

CiderCon® 2026 took place from February 2-5th in Providence Rhode Island. This annual event, organized by the American Cider Association, serves as the leading conference for cider industry professionals from around the globe. Now in its 16th year, this conference featured a program rich with educational sessions, networking opportunities, and an extensive trade show. 

Key Highlights

• Venue: The event was hosted at the Rhode Island Convention Center in lovely Providence, Rhode Island. 
• Attendance: 650 cider industry professionals from around the globe attended including:
  • Attendees from 40 states with New York, Washington, California, & Massachusetts having the highest representation.
  • Attendees from 13 countries, including Austria, Canada, Latvia, Norway, Lithuania, Spain, Sweden, Russia, France, Denmark, China, and the United Kingdom.
• Workshops and Sessions:
  • 25 educational sessions with over 80 speakers covered topics such as cider production techniques, marketing strategies, innovation, orcharding, and cider business management.
  • The Cider Institute helped to develop the Craft & Production Excellence track sessions once again.
  • Ten tasting sessions highlighting everything from brandy essentials, to international highlights from Ontario and the Baltic Region, to fermenting with wild yeast. 
• Scholarships:
  • The ACA hosted 3 recipients for their Cider is For Everyone Scholarship at CiderCon® 2026. This scholarship is designed to bring individuals from historically marginalized populations within the beverage industry to CiderCon® to increase the accessibility of cider education and catalyze the careers and ownership pathways of these burgeoning cider professionals.
• Cider Share: 
  • Cider Share is the beloved welcome reception of CiderCon®. This year Cider Share took place on Tuesday February 3rd featuring more than 50 cideries from around the globe sharing their ciders with CiderCon® attendees. In addition to the main share in the grand ballroom, this year, we were so pleased to feature a special wing just for ciders from the Eastern region. We are so thankful to the support of our sponsor Voran. 
• Tours: This year’s CiderCon® tours captivated attendees with a variety of exciting experiences. Participants explored cideries in Connecticut and Rhode Island, embarked on a Prohibition in Providence walking pub tour, and visited the Johnson & Wales University Culinary Arts Museum for an extensive tour and culinary lab presentation.
  • Close to 100 attendees participated in the dedicated CiderCon® tours exploring the cider and culture the region has to offer.
• Keynote Speakers: CiderCon® 2026 opened with welcoming remarks from Christine Walter, Chair of the ACA Board of Directors, and Monica Cohen, CEO of the American Cider Association. Together, they reflected on the progress the cider community has made, acknowledged the challenges ahead, and set the tone for a conference focused on growth, collaboration, and strengthening cider’s voice nationwide.The keynote program continued with three dynamic conversations.
  • Alan Reed, formerly of Chicagoland, delivered an energizing talk on innovation and scaling small businesses, sharing practical insights for cideries navigating growth. 
  • Jim Bair, President and CEO of the U.S. Apple Association, provided a comprehensive “State of the Apple” update, highlighting production trends, market pressures, and opportunities impacting cider makers nationwide. 
  • The session concluded with a fireside conversation between Monica Cohen and Bart Watson, President and CEO of the Brewers Association, exploring the beverage alcohol landscape, the challenges facing producers, and areas where cider can carve out meaningful growth.
• Certified Pommelier™ Exam
  • The ACA once again offered its Certified Pommelier™ exam at CiderCon® 2026. The Certified Pommelier™ is an advanced second-level designation of the ACA’s Certified Cider Professional™ program geared toward beverage and hospitality industry professionals. Close to 20 people sat for the challenging certification exam that included a written theory section and blind sensory evaluation section. The new cohort of Certified Pommeliers™ will be announced in 6 weeks.
• Networking:
  • There were numerous networking opportunities at CiderCon® 2026, including a Newcomer Networking session, an LGBTQIA+ Cider Social meetup, a Cider Institute meetup, a Guild Leader’s meeting, an Orcharding Meetup where attendees exchanged apple tree scion wood, and numerous gatherings of individuals.
• Trade Show:
  • Over 80 exhibitors displayed the latest equipment, products, and services tailored for the cider industry in the Trade Show sponsored by FruitSmart™. 
  • Vendors came from around the country and the world. This year featured several new vendors as well as many who have returned year after year to support the cider industry. Attendees also enjoyed cider samples from several vendors including the Michigan Cider Association and Cider Association of Maryland.
  • For the first time, the trade show also featured an artisan marketplace of local artists, food, and gift vendors. 
• Grand Toast & Party 
  • The Grand party returned this year in a new and bigger way with the generous sponsorship of Endless Orchard. 
  • We hope that even those who were not able to attend will raise a glass with us now to the Endless Possibilities of ciders future when we craft it together.

CiderCon® was created to offer the commercial cider industry an outlet to meet, share ideas, collaborate, and affect positive changes in cidermaking, apple and pear production, the cider market, and cider regulations. CiderCon® is organized by the American Cider Association whose mission is to grow a diverse and successful US. cider industry by providing valuable information, resources, and services to our members and by advocating on their behalf.