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
The Sustainability Journey
Date & Time: Thursday, February 5 — 10:30 – 11:45 AM
Full description coming soon.
Speakers: Jill Westra, TBD
Funding Your Future
Date & Time: Wednesday, February 4 — 3:45 – 5:00 PM
Full description coming soon.
Speakers: John Behrens, TBD
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
Finding the Right Team
Date & Time: Wednesday, February 4 — 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM
Full description coming soon.
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.