Welcome to CraftCon 2026!
Thursday 12th & Friday 13th March
THE UK’S ONLY CIDERMAKING & ORCHARDING TRADE CONFERENCE
ORGANISED BY THE THREE COUNTIES CIDER & PERRY ASSOCIATION
Two days of interactive workshops and seminars aimed at aspiring and existing cidermakers in the UK and beyond
Over 20 speakers and panelists presenting on a range of topics covering orcharding, cidermaking and business
Hosted at the Somerset County Cricket Club, Taunton
ticket deadlinE: March 3rd
HEADLINE SPONSOR
MAJOR SPONSORS
SUPPORTING SPONSORS
Three Counties Cider & Perry Association
The association represents, supports and promotes the interests of cider and perry producers primarily based in the Three Counties region of the UK (Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire) but welcomes members nationwide and internationally.
Orchard
Techniques, ideas and discussion on growing cider apple and perry pears
Cidery
From crush to finished product, talks to inspire, inform and educate
BUSINESS
Presentations on the nitty gritty of the business side
2026 Conference Schedule All session times and speakers are subject to change!
THURSDAY
9.00AM
Registration, tea & coffee, meet the sponsors!
9.45AM
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Lydia Crimp, Chair, Three Counties Cider & Perry Association
10.00AM
KEYNOTE: Following the Fruit: A Cider Makers Journey
Eleanor Leger, Eden Speciality Ciders, USA
11.00AM
Trade & Sponsor Stands Time
12.00PM
cidermaking track:
Faults ANALYSIS and prevention
*TASTING*
Brighid O’Keane, Cider Institute
Christine Walter, Bauman’s Cider
Yann Gilles, Malus & Vitis
Steven Trussler, Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute, Brock University
Examining sensory faults allows producers to better understand, anticipate, and manage challenges in cider production. This interactive workshop helps cider makers recognize and manage oxidation, reduction, and microbial instability through guided sensory evaluation and practical production insights. Panelists will explore the science behind these issues, how they arise in the cellar and package, and real-world strategies cideries use to prevent and respond to quality risks.
business track:
Newsletters & Marketing
Rachel Hendry, Burum Collective
Join award winning drinks communicator Rachel Hendry as she breaks down the key strands of effective email communication. From how to build a mailing list, writing striking copy to producing consistent newsletter comms that actively profit your business, define your brand and sell your products.
orchard track:
Old Apple Tree, We Wassail thee!
Martin Maudsley,
In this workshop seasoned wassailer Martin Maudsley will introduce the cultural significance, associated folklore and regional variations of Wassail ceremonies. We will also explore the key principles and practices of Wassailing, with an emphasis on how to set-up, run, and enjoy a Wassail at your own orchard.
1.00PM
Lunch & Sponsor Stands – Cider Doctors
2.30PM
cidermaking track:
Fermentation Health
Sigrid Gertsen-Schibbye, Lallemand
Ciders are unique in their nutritional needs and with a better overview of the evolution of fermentation process, one can better understand when to offer the yeast nutritional support for a healthy and fault-free final product.
Join me for a glance at the biology of the fermentation and the impact of a well-timed addition of nutrients whether fermenting with wild yeasts or inoculated options.
Join Helen Anne Smith on a beginners guide to branding, authenticity and communication. The session will look at their work with Wilderness Brewery as a case study to why visuals are such a huge part of selling a product, while still incorporating your voice as a producer. They will also look at how your branding ties into your social media and communications with customers. Wilderness Brewery is a two person team, based in Mid Wales, producing a mixture of cask ale, wild fermentations, and cider.
Orchard track: Some Interesting Apples
James Ferguson, Vagrant Cider
Chava Richman, Welsh Mountain Cider
A discussion about orcharding and top-fruit production and how it varies in marginal lands and thresholds of species tolerance. What can be gained from examination of unique seedling trees growing in typically unsuitable areas, and how that compares to heirloom cultivars in home range vs edges of tolerance. They look at routes to selection for new orchard plantings including variety selection, standard rootstocks or seedlings for new orchards, and examine the creation of new orchards and care for existing trees, not just purely economic reasons but for diversification, fun, whimsy, and creative uses for marginal lands, community access, and building resilience in a changing climate.
3.30PM
Visit our Trade Sponsors
4.00PM
cidermaking track:
Ice Ciders
*Tasting*
Eleanor Leger, Eden Specialty Ciders
Eleanor Leger, founder of Eden Specialty Ciders (Vermont USA) will provide some history of this North American dessert style cider and samples of Eden’s releases, including a couple of deep finds from the library!
CIDERMAKING TRACK: International Cider Symposium
*TASTING*
Brighid O’Keane, Cider Institute
Christine Walter, Bauman’s Cider
Understanding U.S. Cider: A Regional Exploration of Style, Climate & Technique
This tasting-led educational session will introduce attendees to the diversity of U.S. cider through a regional lens, highlighting how climate, apple varieties, and fermentation techniques shape style. Featuring 4–5 ciders from across the country, this session will explore heritage fruit, wild fermentations, and modern production approaches to illustrate how American cider makers are navigating tradition and innovation in distinct growing regions.
orcharding track: Regen Agriculture
Ross Mangles, North Down Farms
Sarah Whittick, Cider Apple Trees
John Whittick, Cider Apple Trees
Regenerative Agriculture is the new big thing, but what is it? In this session John & Sarah Whittick and Ross Mangles will discuss the main principles underpinning regen ag, and how they apply those principles to apple trees and orchards. With a discussion that covers everything from the nursery & grafting to orchard care & harvest: Join them for a look at the transition which is regenerating our cider, our soil, and our food systems.
5.00PM – 7.00PM
Cider Share
7.00PM
Evening Dinner
Friday
9.00AM
Event Opens – Trade Stands & Sponsors
9.30AM
Orchard track:
Preserving Traditional Orchards; key features and management.
Geoff Newman, Natural England
An exploration of what a traditional orchard priority habitat is, what its key features are and how we should manage them to maximise nature recovery.
business track:
All Things Labelling
Loraine Boddington, National Association of Cidermakers
Labelling cider/perry is part legal requirements and part marketing to make products
stand out from other products. We know the Government are planning a
consultation around no and low alcohol, nutrient declarations and health warnings. In
this talk Loraine will cover: What must be on the label, How it is labelled, Voluntary declarations, Claims &
Any information from the consultation (if published!)
business track: Exporting to the EU
Sam Nightingale, Nightingale Cider
Daniel Emerson, Stonewell Cider
10.30AM
Trade Stands & Sponsors
11.00AM
cidermaking track:
Blending 101
*TASTING*
Albert Johnson, Ross-on-Wye Cider & Perry
Christine Walter, Bauman’s Cider
Barny Butterfield, Sandford Orchards
A seminar exploring the art of blending. Assess individual base ciders, discuss the significance of varietal character, explore flavour profiles, and decide for yourself what the most important aspects of a blend are. Using a selection of single variety samples from across multiple seasons of production at Ross-on-Wye Cider and Perry, we’ll taste and analyse each cider individually, theorise ways they could come together, and then put our blending concepts into practice with a live workshop. Attendees will gain confidence in tasting and recognising flavours, add an understanding of the principles of blending, and hear from established cidermakers what their achievement goals are when blending.
Cidermaking track:
Blind Tasting
*TASTING*
Alison Taffs, The Hop Inn
Alison will be using a systematic framework inspired by the Wine and Spirit Education Trust wine and beer tasting methods, we’ll slow the process down and focus on aroma texture and taste: breaking the liquid in the glass into clear, repeatable stages that build confidence and consistency.
Across blind-tasted ciders and perries, we will explore appearance, aroma, structure, balance and finish, developing a shared language while also refining our own descriptive lexicon. The aim isn’t to “get the answer right”, but to grow clarity in observation and expression: turning instinct into insight.
cider culture track:
Terroir, Typicity & Taste
Gabe Cook, The Ciderologist
There has been much talk about the relationship between terroir and cider over the last 5 years. But what does the research say? And ultimately is it terroir, typicity or taste that matters most to makers and drinkers? This presentation calls upon global literature and insight to explore this hotly debated topic.
12.00PM
Lunch & Sponsor Stands – Scion Exchange
Cidermaking track:
Acidity titration workshop
Tom Tibbits, Artistraw Cider
Join Tom Tibbits from Artistraw in a workshop designed to give you the skills and understanding to measure, accurately, the acidity present in your drinks, interpreting what the information tells you and how to exploit that insight when labelling and marketing your drinks. Available only at CraftCon 2026, you can also purchase the full set of equipment you need at cost (only £40), allowing you to take home your new skill and apply it right away in your cidery!
1.30PM
cidermaking track:
Cidermaker’s Question Time
Albert Johnson, Ross-on-Wye Cider & Perry
Chava Richman, Welsh Mountain Cider
Got a burning question about cider? Ask our expert panel about anything from cider to marketing, orchards to yeast, perry pears to barrels! All questions are welcome in this friendly session which will delve deep into every corner of the cider universe!
cidermaking track: Keeving Deep Dive *TASTING*
Phill Palmer, Palmer’s Upland Cyder
Yann Gilles, Malus & Vitis
Simon Rawlins, Rawlins Family Cider
Keeving ciders is often seen as an over complicated method with a lot of inaccurate misinformation and instructions. Yann Gilles, Simon Rawlins and Phill Palmer will discuss the different steps to a successful keeve via the processes they do and the reasons behind them. The aim is to break it down to some easily followed steps so makers can see how rewarding and amazing keeved cider can be, not only for its great taste but also now financially rewarding due to lower duty from having lower alcohol.
Business track:
IAMCIDER: Twenty Years Outside the Glass
Bill Bradshaw,
For more than twenty years, Bill Bradshaw has dedicated himself to photographing the cider world, creating a visual record that spans thousands of images, several influential books and a growing body of video work. His archive captures the makers, traditions and distinctive cultures that define cider on a global scale. In this talk, Bill presents a small curated selection of the images he considers most significant. Through each photograph, he guides the audience into the stories behind them—why they matter, what they reveal about the craft, and how they collectively chart the evolution and character of the modern cider world.