This past week (today is 2/4/2023 at the time of this writing), I attended CiderCon in Chicago. This is an industry focused convention for cider professionals by the American Cider Association (ACA). Here are my thoughts.
The event was heavily industry focused and I knew that going into it. While I was welcome to attend as an enthuasist and homebrewer, it was not going to be about either of those things. So I knew that and accepted it. Anytrhing I gleaned from it would be by me using my knowledge to distill it from the industry focused material given.
First up, it was clear that diversity was wanted and desired. Two prominent sessions were for a BiPOC meet and greet, and a Pride meet and greet. There were ribbons one could chose to indicate those statuses and the opening slide for the keynote speaker was “Cider is for Everyone.” The crowd skews mid 30s and the customer base is younger so it makes sense to stress this. The message was clear; this is a place for diverse peoples and you will be hurting yourself financially if you don’t embrace that.
While the SCA and ACA are born for different purposes and at different times, this is something the SCA could learn from the ACA (and other organizations), put diversity first. The SCA is not good at this. Sure it cherry picks its marketing photos to show diversity (minimally) but it hides from larger initiatives. The DEI scandal is a prime example. So, embrace diversity SCA. Stop making excuses for why or what; just do it. Make it a priority and in your face.
One thing the ACA could have done better is connecting its newer members. This is something they could learn from the SCA. I felt like an outsider the whole time. In part, because I am not part of the industry but in part because I was a new person and there was very little effort to connect me in. Some sort of ambassador program would be nice here. Get a group of volunteers that know a bunch of people and are willing to approach new comers. Many of us newcomers had ribbons to identify ourselves. Those volunteers would then approach the newcomers, learn a little about who they are, and make introductions to a variety of people for them. There was one newcomer session but it was heavily industry focused. It was like speed-dating but it was on business subject matter. A more socially oriented newcomers session would have been good for me.
I attended several sessions to expand my palate and knowledge. Again, I had to listen to find the information that would apply to me as a homebrewer. And I did find some. But more importantly, I think I learned that becoming a pommelier would be difficult for me. There were many characteristics for the ciders that I just didn’t get. It is a bit like the pope in the joke about art, “I make not know much about cider, but I know what I like.” Again, this was useful information to know. It will take a lot of time to train my palate to understand these flavors. I am not sure it is worthwhile.
Another thing that was prominent at CiderCon was the idea that cider is more akin to wine, or at least they want it to be. All of the cider was served in stemmed glasses. Much of the terminology about cider is borrowed from wines. Much of the processing is more like wine. But in true, cider currently occupies the middle space between beer and wine for consumers. Historically, it has moved all over the map; being cheap and fancy, wages earned and wages substituted, common and noble. At the moment, it is increasing in popularity. Making the producer and consumer associate it with wines is good for the industry because you can command a higher price point.
Personally, I prefer my cider in a pint glass or a pint can. I would rather see it as a fancy beer/ale and less of a diminished wine. I want it to be accessible and fun. I want it to be something to you enjoy with a bunch of friends eating burgers and wings. But the more consumers can see how versatile it is, the more market share it should command.
Was this worth it? No, not really. I made no lasting connection with anyone. I learned a few things so it was not worthless. But given what I gave in time and money, I didn’t get my value. If I were a small cidery, would I have gotten more value? I think so. There several sessions about the selling of cider that would have been of interest. Would I do it again? Not without being in the industry for some reason. I spent nearly $2000 for 4 days of this. With so little about the hobby side of this, I can’t justify that kind of money again. I am not sorry I went. but I don’t see going again.
I did taste some interesting ciders and got some inspiration for doing new things on my own. I accidently sat near the featured author at the convention for two sessions. So eavesdropping on his conversations gave me some interesting insights. I met someone from Angry Orchard and again, listening in on his conversations were interesting. I met someone from Bauman Century Farms (and Cidery) and tasted some excellent ciders from this 5th generation company. So it got something out of it.
