Certified Pommelier™ Mentorship Program

Elevating the Next Generation of Cider Professionals

The Certified Pommelier™ Mentorship Program is a structured professional development initiative connecting aspiring cider professionals with experienced Certified Pommeliers™ who have earned Distinction status. The program provides personalized guidance, industry insight, and coaching through one-on-one sanctioned mentorship sessions.

The goal is to strengthen the global cider community by fostering knowledge transfer and professional development while creating additional opportunities for distinguished Certified Pommeliers™ to contribute to the program and the industry.

Mentor Eligibility

Only individuals meeting the following requirements may serve as mentors:

Required Qualifications

• Current Certified Pommelier™ certification in good standing
• Certified Pommelier™ with Award of Distinction
• Active involvement in the cider industry
• Completion of ACA Mentor Orientation
• Agreement to ACA Mentor Code of Conduct
• Commitment to maintaining confidentiality and professionalism



Preferred Qualifications

• Teaching or training experience
• Sensory evaluation expertise
• Industry leadership experience
• Public speaking or judging experience
• Experience across multiple cider categories or markets

Mentee Eligibility

The program is open to:

Primary Audience

• Current Certified Pommelier™ candidates
• Certified Cider Guides™ preparing for CP Exams
• Beverage professionals seeking advanced cider expertise

Secondary Audience

• Cider makers
• Educators
• Hospitality professionals
• Retail and distribution professionals
• International Certified Cider Professional™ Program candidates

Mentorship Structure

Each mentorship session is structured as a 60-minute virtual one-on-one session between a mentor and mentee. All sessions will be scheduled directly through the ACA booking portal and will include pre- and post-session notes and planning.

1. THE Mentors

Review the mentors by region, top rated knowledge categories, and mentoring philosophy.

Jessica Arlich

Time Zone: Pacific

Availability: Evenings 5- 9 PM & Weekends

Qualifications: Non-Industry Professional- Education & Journalism

Top-rated Knowledge Categories:

Cider History, Evaluation, and Exam Prep

Mentoring Philosophy: " There’s no one size fits all, so I am always flexible to needs and learning styles. I offer gentle encouragement and positive support. Repetition builds learning, and there are no dumb questions."

Tim Powers

Time Zone: Eastern

Availability: Evenings 5- 9 PM & Weekends

Qualifications: 8+ years of professional experience- Education

Top-rated Knowledge Categories:

Cider History, Evaluation, and Exam Prep

Mentoring Philosophy: " In general, I have a 'Learning through Doing' mindset, and when teaching, I try to have the student(s) be as engaged as possible. Whether that's through the student working on practice questions alone or in groups, assessing a tasting sample together, or using guided questions to promote understanding during a lecture, the goal is to continually build through each subsequent topic so that the student has a complete and thorough understanding."

Jenna Boucher

Time Zone: Pacific (Canada)

Availability: Weekdays 9 AM- 5 PM, Evenings 5- 9 PM & Weekends

Qualifications: 8+ years of professional experience: Cider Production, Fruit Growing, Sales and Distribution

Top-rated Knowledge Categories:

Cider Production, Cider History, Evaluation, and Exam Prep

Mentoring Philosophy: " I am very hands-on; I like to talk and work through chapters together. I find I am very good at relating the idea to something tangible when they are not able to understand it themselves. I bring a lot of examples from my work and can easily adjust my style to suit the mentee."

Gabe Cook

Time Zone: GMT +1 (UK)

Availability: Weekdays 9 AM-5 PM,  and Evenings 5- 9 PM

Qualifications: 8+ years professional experience- Cidery Production, Education/Writing/Journalism, Consulting/Technical Services

Top-rated Knowledge Categories:

Apples and the Orchard, World Cider Styles, Evaluation, and Exam Prep

Mentoring Philosophy: " Friendly and gregarious and not too serious. We're not saving lives here. I will bring my wealth of knowledge in easily accessible, bite-sized chunks."

Joshua Lee Sejat

Time Zone: Mountain

Availability: Evenings 5- 9 PM & Weekends

Qualifications: 8+ years professional experience- Cidery Production, Consulting/Technical Services

Top-rated Knowledge Categories:

Cider Production, Evaluation, and Exam Prep

Mentoring Philosophy: " While I do believe traditional studying can be beneficial, I really believe in practical real-world experience & training as well. Tying information to real-world experience is a great way to learn and retain information, especially when evaluating cider and trying to find the correct food pairing."

Abram Goldman- Armstrong

Time Zone: GMT +1 (UK)

Availability: Weekdays 9 AM-5 PM,  and Evenings 5- 9 PM

Qualifications: 8+ years professional experience- Cidery Production

Top-rated Knowledge Categories:

Cider Production, World Cider Styles, and Cider History

Mentoring Philosophy: " I'll attempt to tailor my approach to each individual's need/learning style. I want to instil confidence in the mentee, and point them in the direction to develop their skills rather than simply getting them to regurgitate answers."

2. Complete the Mentee Application Form

Complete the form with your requested mentee, session type, and availability for mentorship board review and mentor matching.