AI Without Losing Your Craft
Date & Time: Thursday, February 4 — 3:45 – 5:00 PM
Running a cidery means doing a bit of everything, often at the expense of your sanity. What if AI could help you improve workflows, stay sane, and gain time for the human side of cidermaking?
This session starts with a brief overview of AI for small to medium cideries, covering both its possibilities and perils. Then we’ll talk about how to develop a “company brain,” harnessing AI to create tailor-made standards, frameworks, and references for your cidery. We’ll finish with live problem solving to show how AI-tools can relieve your real-life pain points, so come with issues to discuss!
Speakers: Brent Miles-Wagner, Johan Sjöstedt
Growing the Sustainability Journey From the Ground Up
Date & Time: Thursday, February 5 — 10:30 – 11:45 AM
Building a sustainability program can feel daunting, especially in today’s challenging business climate, but now may be the perfect time to start planning! This session is designed for cideries and growers who want to launch their sustainability journey from the ground up. One of our featured speakers led the development of Boston Beer Company’s sustainability program (home to Angry Orchard) and will share insights, practical steps, and answer your questions. Neal Carter, founder and president of Okanagan Specialty Fruit, will also share his company’s sustainability journey and the tactics that worked for them in the beginning. We’ll explore why the first stages of a sustainability strategy are often theoretical and strategic – meaning they cost nothing but can set the foundation for future success. Whether you’re curious about where to begin or ready to map out your next steps, this discussion will help you turn ideas into action.
Come ready to share your thoughts about your brand’s values and what sustainability could mean for your business. We’ll use these examples to help you build out a sustainability philosophy statement, explore practical first steps and strategic planning priorities.
Speakers: Jill Westra
Funding Your Future
Date & Time: Wednesday, February 4 — 3:45 – 5:00 PM
You may not be thinking about growth right now—and that’s okay. But even if expansion feels far off, understanding your finances today can make all the difference tomorrow. This session is designed to help you build confidence around your numbers and prepare for opportunities before they arrive.
A finance professional will share practical tips for keeping your cidery financially healthy, recognizing when you’re truly ready to pursue funding, and exploring potential sources of capital when the time comes. Whether you’re focused on surviving, stabilizing, or scaling up, you’ll walk away with tools to help future-proof your business.
Bring your questions, concerns, and real-world scenarios. This is an interactive conversation meant to give you clarity, confidence, and a roadmap for whatever is next.
Speakers: John Behrens, Stephanie Artino
Navigating the Now While Evolving for Your Brand’s Future
Date & Time: Wednesday, February 5 — 2:00 – 3:15 PM
Managing your brand can feel like a daily game of Whac-A-Mole, with challenges popping up in every direction and little energy left to plan for the future. Bring your brand questions for an interactive session where we will provide a practical framework to evaluate your brand’s strengths now while planning for what’s to come. Walk away with not only the answers to your pressing questions but feeling informed on how to expand your brand toolkit – visual identity, messaging, and strategy – while staying true to your roots, including a roadmap that supports evolving your cidery in this constantly changing marketplace.
Speakers: Oceania Eagan
Pressed for Talent: Finding the Right Team and Keeping Them
Date & Time: Wednesday, February 4 — 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM
Building a strong team is one of the most important—and challenging—parts of running a successful cidery. Join an HR Director as she shares strategies for recruiting and retaining talented employees in today’s competitive labor market, going beyond standard job boards to find the right fit. Learn how to create a diverse and inclusive workplace, build a team from the ground up, and foster a culture that attracts and retains employees who are as passionate about cider as you are. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own recruitment questions and hiring concerns for discussion and advice. You’ll leave with practical insights and actionable strategies to grow a team that supports long-term success.
Speaker: Amber Burton
From Vision to Viability – Startup Cider Business Bootcamp ✼
Tuesday, February 3 — 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Price: $75
Where to begin? There are so many hurdles and challenges that face a startup cidery in today’s economy that it is hard to even know the right questions to ask. We can help! We’re going to spend three and a half hours addressing the fundamentals of the startup process through the experience of people who have been there before and done things “mostly right”. We’ll take you from start to finish in a cidery startup lifecycle and go over business plan development including:
- Financing
- Real estate/build out decisions
- Branding
- Licensing and compliance
- Employee/equipment acquisition
- And more!
This will be a moderated panel discussion led by industry experts, followed by a Q and A with cideries of different sizes who can provide insights on models that may be similar to your own. Our hope is that you walk away feeling confident in your startup strategies and armed with the tools needed to operate a sustainable cider company for years to come.
Speakers: Nick Gunn, Chas Runco, Stephanie Artino, Patti Wilcox, Jason Cassidy, Hannah Ferguson
TTB Bootcamp
Tuesday, February 3 — 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Join TTB specialists for a hands-on Federal Compliance Bootcamp designed to demystify regulatory requirements for cideries. This in-depth workshop will walk through the essentials of compliance in four focused sections: an overview of TTB updates and the permitting process; recordkeeping, operational reports, and tax returns; formula approvals; and labeling requirements specific to cider. Each hour-long segment is designed to give producers practical guidance, insider tips, and the opportunity to strengthen their understanding of federal compliance. Whether you’re new to cider production or looking to refresh your knowledge, this bootcamp will equip you with the tools to stay compliant and confident.