Golden State cider competition en route
A new statewide competition for commercial cider companies, the California Cider Cup, is being planned for launch in March of next year
Today, California Cider Cup announced its statewide competition celebrating California’s craft cider makers. The inaugural competition will be held in March 2027 and is now officially open for entries. Licensed producers from across the state are invited to submit their top ciders for spotlighting and recognition.
“California’s cider industry has so much talent and craft behind it, and it’s about time we had something built specifically to celebrate that,” said Bex Pezzullo, a member of the California Cider Cup founding cohort. “This isn’t just a competition, it’s a chance to put California cider on the map and give makers across the state the recognition they’ve earned.”
California has built a national reputation in wine and craft beer, but cider has remained a less visible category despite a growing base of skilled producers throughout the state. Without a trusted, statewide platform to recognize their work, many of these makers lack a meaningful way to build credibility with drinkers, retailers and press. Left unaddressed, that gap makes it harder for the category to grow and for smaller producers to compete for shelf space for more established beverages.
“For smaller and hyperlocal producers, recognition opportunities like this don’t come around often,” said founding cohort member Melissa Myers. “Helping to create and support a platform that puts them in the same conversation as bigger names means a lot, and shows people what they’ve been working on.”
Ciders will be judged blind by a distinguished panel of cider experts, including Certified Pommeliers, beverage directors and buyers, writers, taproom owners and other industry professionals. The competition will run a formal judging process and awards structure, providing winners with accolades to leverage when promoting their ciders following the event. The competition will be open to licensed cider producers of any size across California, with the goal of reaching both trade audiences and California cider drinkers looking to discover new makers.
As the first annual California Cider Cup, this year’s competition marks the start of what organizers hope will become an ongoing, trusted benchmark for the state’s cider industry. Producers interested in entering can sign up for updates and entry information online, with full rules, entry details and judging criteria to be announced in the coming months. News and updates will be posted to the competition’s official Instagram account (@calicidercup).