The only trade conference in the UK dedicated to Cidermaking is returning! We are delighted to announce that CraftCon 2021 will run as a virtual conference next month, on April 29th & 30th. Save the date now!

Simon Day, current Chair of the Three Counties Cider & Perry Association, had this to say:

“I’m delighted that we’re able to bring CraftCon back this year in a much more usual conference format, albeit virtually. We’re lining up some excellent sessions, including speakers from around the globe to bring new perspectives, insight and knowledge on all things craft cider and perry. Alongside these sessions will be opportunities for networking chats, an online trade show and we’ll be bringing tasting session too! Save the date – you don’t want to miss this!”

Following CraftCon’s debut success in 2019, where representatives from more than 80 cideries attended, we were very frustrated by its cancellation in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To make the most of our widely anticipated programme, we are hoping to run many of the same sessions we had planned for last year, updating them where necessary. We have already been able to confirm some of our speakers, such as Albert & Mike Johnson from Ross on Wye Cider & Perry, Simon Day, Head of Production at Kingsthorne , and Chris Atkins from Ragged Stone Cider to discuss the future of perry.

Our survey of interest to CraftCon returned more than 90 responses from Cideries all across the UK and abroad, and we intend to make the most of the opportunity of a virtual event to include international speakers and sessions. Our survey also primed us with the information about what our members most want featured at the event, so expect a focus on Cider Production foremost, as well as Orcharding and Digital Innovation/Social Media.

We are delighted to be welcoming speakers from Cider Women as part of CraftCon 2020, the community group formed at CraftCon 2019 to help facilitate peer support and networking for (self identifying) women involved in cider in the UK. The programme will also include a session exploring ways to build upon our Statement on Equality, Inclusion and Diversity.

Although we have much of the plan built for our programme, we are still at the early stages for the event. To attend you will need to buy a ticket from us, the details of which will be available soon.  You can check https://craftcon.co.uk/ for updates in the coming weeks. We intend for the event to be as accessible as possible, though with additional benefits for members of the Three Counties, including the ability to rewatch the sessions from the event at any time. You can join at any time, just fill out this form and email it to our Membership Secretary, details are in the form.

Questions regarding the event, including for sponsorship, can be sent to the secretary at info@tccpa.co.uk