Carlos Martinez Cárdenas is a horticulturalist specialized in cherry and apple production based in Valdivia, Chile, and partner in Agrícola Tralcao, producers of the Lemon Apple and Della Cha ciders.

He is an agricultural consultant at Austral University with a focus in the rejuvenation of old and abandoned orchards and the establishment and management of modern plantations of heritage apple varieties.

Rene Galindo Quidel is a third generation cidermaker, graphic designer and illustrator. He is the founder and owner of Sidrería TenCai, making a diverse set of ciders from a mix of heritage Chilean cider apples as well as other apples, fruits, and collabs with beer and other drinks makers. He has won 14 international medals with different styles of ciders.

The elusive Matthew Sanford is the head winemaker at Rose Hill Farm in the Hudson Valley and formally Alai Cider in Colchagua, Chile. At Rose Hill he’s focused on making high quality, low intervention wine and cider that often blur the lines between the two. Utilizing estate grown, foraged and locally sourced fruit from likeminded farmers. Apples, pears, grapes, plums, cherries, currants, blueberries and quince, just a few of the things you’ll find him fermenting in the cellar, naturally.

It all started with a pickup truck full of found apples. Nicole Todd and her husband were searching for property when they stumbled across an abandoned apple orchard in Watsonville, CA. Nicole, having a passion for fermenting anything she can get her hands on, insisted they go back at night to collect and use the apple crop that was clearly going to waste. The obvious outcome for this found loot was CIDER! Having worked many years in wine and beer, the production part was easy for Nicole. She teamed up with her sister Natalie, the more business savvy of the two, to create Santa Cruz Cider Co in 2013. They have a tasting room and production space in the heart of Apple City, Watsonville, CA. They use 100% local apples to make 20+ kinds of ciders.

Chris Gerling is a Senior Extension Associate in the department of Food Science at Cornell AgriTech in Geneva, New York. He works with the craft beverage industry to create educational programs that support the growth and improved quality of premium wines, ciders and distilled spirits. Chris is a member of the Cider Institute of North America’s executive committee.

Tim Powers is a cider enthusiast and educator who works at Commonwealth Wine School in Cambridge,
Massachusetts. He has always had a passion for cider, and when he learned of the American Cider Association and the Certified Pommelier™ certification he knew it was a path he had to pursue. Cider is a reflection of a place, a climate, a soil, a history, and a people, and Tim’s goal is to share the stories of incredible ciders and cideries with the world. Tim is a Certified Pommelier™ through the American Cider Association, and holds the Level 3 Advanced Certificate in Wine with Merit and the Level 3 Advanced Certificate in Spirits with Distinction from WSET. Additionally, he is a Provisional Cider Judge through the BJCP, has a Master’s Degree in Music from Arizona State, and a Bachelor’s in Music from Ithaca College.

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 NWCA.

Colin Schilling is the CEO and Co-Founder of Schilling Cider. He has a passion for food and beverage broadly and has created and consulted on brands in the non-alcoholic, coffee, energy, and cannabis spaces. He has an MBA focused in entrepreneurship and business sustainability and worked in tech consulting prior to founding the cider company. In addition to the wholesale business, Schilling Cider operates two retail locations in Seattle and Portland which are the largest cider taprooms in the world by draft cider offerings! Colin strongly believes business is a force for good and change and has integrated numerous sustainable practices into the core business. He is also an industry thought leader on people-first company culture and works to deliver a best-in-class employment experience for every employee.

Albert Johnson is a fourth-generation cidermaker and farmer at Ross-on-Wye Cider & Perry Company in Herefordshire, UK. Albert balances the tradition and heritage of his family home with a forward thinking and creative perspective on where cider and perry can travel to in the future; exploring through his cidermaking all the avenues which apples and pears can journey down, with a specialty in single variety ciders and named varietal blends. He is vice-chair of the Three Counties Cider & Perry Association, and has been organising CraftCon, the UK’s only cidermaking trade conference, since it began in 2019.

Particularly known for her skill at tasting and blending, Nicole LeGrand Leibon has been cited as one of the best cider judges because of her generous feedback. As the first cider-specific hire for Farnum Hill Ciders and Poverty Lane Orchards in 2000, she helped create a style that honored the terroir and the fruit, while gaining renown for the best ciders in America. In 2018, while finishing her 19th harvest at Farnum Hill Ciders, Nicole went on to expand her skills to distilling. She became the Assistant Distiller at SILO Distillery in Windsor, VT, as well as Head Cidermaker. In her first year working solely with dessert and heirloom varieties, her cider won acclaim and was a Finalist for the 2020 Good Food Awards. Deeply experienced in cider, from orchard to package, Nicole has been there for industry growth from its tiny beginnings to the juggernaut it is today. She has traveled extensively to taste and judge cider, and to teach sensory analysis. Previous gigs as brewer and yeast lab tech. Super powers: sense of smell and ability to break glassware. Cider blend consultant LeNose Knows. Nicole is also a board member for CINA.