About
The Good Food Awards rely on the expertise of the cider community to create the tasting, determine judges and set standards for the category. Read on to learn who has been integral to building the category, as well as what the cider standard are and who will be judging this year.
Committee
Co-ChairsBrandon Buza
Freelance Photographer
Brandon is a fermentation geek with an interest in making cider, wine, and distilled spirits. After years of making wine with guidance from friend and natural wine legend Tony Coturri he was introduced to the world of craft cider in Chimacum, Washington and has continued to grow his understanding of the cider universe ever since. Brandon’s interest in cider extends to all facets of the craft which includes making brandy. He is a partner in large organic apple and pear orchard in Yakima, WA, volunteers with the orchard team at Filoli in Woodside, CA, has visited the top cider makers around the world and has won major awards for his ciders. He has served as a judge for the Portland International Cider Cup, Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition and the prestigious World Whiskey Awards held in DC and London. Last, Brandon is WSET 2 certified (wine) and is currently studying to become a Certified Pommelier. This will be Brandon’s fourth year with the GFAs.
Jolie Devoto
Devoto Orchards
A lifelong apple geek, Jolie started her relationship with apples at a very young age at her family’s 20 acre apple farm in Sebastopol, where she would get to know the trees and their fruits on a very intimate level before traveling to other apple growing destinations in Northern / Western Europe where she found lots of inspiration. She was the world’s representative for the Gravenstein heirloom apple variety at the Slow Food 2010 Terra Madre Conference, and has been immersed in the world of apples and cider ever since. For the past 10 years, she founded and grew one of California’s most popular cider brands, working to introduce people to quality cider through educational initiatives, community outreach events, and tasting panels. For fun, she loves making her own small batches of cider, wine, amaros, sauerkraut, and bread for friends and family.
Chris McKenna, J.P. Morgan Asset Management
Tom Russo
Lindsay Smolinski, Cider Enthusiast
Judges
Maggie Przybylski
Co-owner, Daily Operations, Two Broads Ciderworks
Cooper Buffa
Wine Director, Bacchus & Venus
Mickey Patel
Jeff Baccus
Sr. Viticulturist, Advanced Viticulture, Inc.
Jake Mann
Grower, Five Mile Orchards, LLC
Darlene Hayes
Editor, Malus Zine
Standards
In order to be eligible for a Good Food Award, cider entries must meet the following standards:
- Made in the USA or US territories.
- Made with ingredients that are grown or produced with practices that promote resource conservation and minimize synthetic inputs, including herbicides, pesticides, fungicides or fertilizers
- Made with fruit and other ingredients that are grown locally and with respect to seasonality as a top priority.
- Free of artificial ingredients, including colors, flavors and preservatives.
- Does not use fruit juice concentrates as a primary source of fermentable sugar (may not exceed 25%).
- Made by a producer that demonstrates a commitment to relationships with suppliers and customers in order to support and promote sustainability.
- Made by a crafter that is an upstanding member of the good food community, committed to equity and inclusion in all levels of their business,* as exemplified through integrating these practices:
- Offering a diversity, equity, and inclusion training to staff members and/or leadership annually.
- Thoughtfully acknowledging the heritage of culturally-specific food on websites, packaging and/or marketing materials.
- For the small percentage of Good Food community that operates on a significantly larger scale, meeting additional criteria related to board diversity, maternity leave and employment practices.*
****Check if you are in the 2% of companies meeting the Good Food Foundation definition of large scale, and review the addition criteria on the Rules & Regulations page.
Subcategories
Additionally, cider entries must fit within one of the following subcategories:
- Unadulterated Ciders: Ciders made to showcase everything the apple can do when fermented, without the addition of prominent flavoring agents. Chaptalized ciders can be included here, but those made with sugars that have a significant impact on flavor should be entered into the Spiced & Hopped category.
- Unadulterated Perry: Perries made to showcase everything the pear can do when fermented, without the addition of prominent flavoring agents. Apple-based ciders with added pear should be entered into the Fruited category.
- Wood-Aged: Ciders and perries aged or fermented in barrels or on wood to take on significant barrel/wood character or the flavor of the barrel’s previous contents as a key flavor component. Please specify the barrel/wood type with your submission.
- Fruited: Ciders and perries made with added non-apple/pear fruits. Apple-based ciders with added pear and pear-based drinks with added apples should also be entered here.
- Spiced, Hopped & Other Flavored: Ciders and perries made with spices, hops, herbs, or sugars with significant flavor contributions (such as maple syrup or honey).
- Fortified & Ice Ciders: Ciders and perries fortified with spirits, pommeaus, and ice ciders.