About Northwest Cider Association

OUR VISION

The Pacific Northwest is at the heart of the craft cider movement with a vibrant, collaborative industry where anyone can share in the success and joy of cider.

OUR MISSION

We nurture the community, economy, and ecosystem of a thriving cider culture for our members and consumers by supporting businesses, inspiring quality, and telling the story of Pacific Northwest cider.

The Northwest Cider Association’s Mission is strategically designed to:

• Increase sales of NW Cider
• Increase quality of cider produced in the NW
• Cultivate the NW Cider community

Andrew Byers
Board President

Co-Owner and Director of Operations
Finnriver Farm and Cidery | Chimacum, WA

Andrew Byers has been making cider, managing the team of cider makers  and more at Finnriver since 2013; building a network of small growers, valued team members, and cherished colleagues. His background in the culinary arts has shown in creative cider making as well as dynamic team leadership, and with an academic focus in fungal ecology and botany his understanding of life systems and process systems is in the forefront of his decision making. Before his time at Finnriver, Andrew and his family worked with Eve’s Cidery, and Cummins’ Nursery in New York; gathering national perspective of markets and growing regions. Now well settled in Chimacum, Washington, the Byers family is focused on community integrity and small town sustainability.

Jose Gonzalez
VICE PRESIDENT

CEO
La Familia Cider Company | Salem, OR

Jose Gonzalez is the CEO and founder of La Familia Cider, a Salem, Oregon based cider company with infused Mexican flavors and traditions. Jose’s humble origins and family traditions have led him to become a serial entrepreneur in real estate and now beverages industry with a mission to always inspire and assist new generations of Mexican migrants.

Aaron Sarnoff-Wood
Treasurer

Co-founder & VP of Sales
2 Towns Ciderhouse | Corvallis, OR

Aaron Sarnoff-Wood helped launch 2 Towns Ciderhouse in 2010 with his business partner and childhood friend, starting in a garage and growing into the largest cider producer on the West Coast and #2 nationally in grocery sales. Along the way he’s worked across the whole business—ingredient sourcing, production, licensing and compliance, contracts, and distributor management. Today he leads their sales and marketing teams (40+ cider professionals) and stays hands-on with retail and distributor relationships. 

He is also active in policy work that supports the entire cider community. Last year he served on a year-long task force that helped prevent a proposed 3,000%+ tax increase on cider in Oregon, and he’s currently engaged in Washington to oppose retail restrictions that could limit cider’s access to consumers.

Kate Koenig
Secretary

Cidermaker & Co-Owner
Rootwood Cider Co. | Manson, WA

Kate grew up in her family’s apple orchards in the hills above Lake Chelan, Washington. After spending fifteen years away, exploring other opportunities, she returned home and teamed up with her family to start Rootwood Cider in 2015. Her family has been growing apples for more than 100 years! Adding some cider apple varieties to the commercial orchards was an important step toward adding diversity to the business and creating a way for her and her sisters to be part of the family apple history. 

SCOTT Katsma
BOArd Member

Beverage CPG Consultant & Fermentation Specialist
Seattle, WA

Scott Katsma is a leader in the craft cider industry with over 12 years of award-winning cidermaking and senior leadership experience. A passionate innovator and respected educator in beverage CPG, he helped build Seattle Cider Company into one of the largest cider producers in the U.S. Scott combines business acumen and creative problem-solving as a tenured small‑business manager with broad expertise across beverage manufacturing and the modern alcohol industry.

Molly Crandles
BOARD MEMBER

Senior Cidermaker
Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse | Saanichton, BC

Molly Crandles is the Senior Cider Maker at Sea Cider Farm and Ciderhouse on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.  Coming from a winemaking background, Molly has a BSc in Chemistry and an MSc in Oenology and Viticulture. She has worked for wineries around the world, including in Australia, Germany, New York State, Ontario, and British Columbia. Early in her career she developed an interest in cider making alongside winemaking. She first made cider at Maverick Estate Winery in the Okanagan Valley, and is happy to have landed at Sea Cider in early 2024 to continue this passion full time.  She has experience in sensory science, beverage research and development, and education.  Having worked at large and small businesses, she enjoys keeping up with all aspects of the Canadian beverage industry, and advocates for community support of hand crafted, terroir-driven premium wines and ciders.

Alan MacDonald
BOARD MEMBER

Owner
Winsome Ciderworks | Woodinville, WA

Alan MacDonald is a veteran beverage industry leader with 30+ years shaping some of the most recognized names in wine, cider, and beer. Alan’s career spans brand creation, marketing, and distribution leadership.

Today as Today, as Co-Owner and Managing Partner of Winsome Ciderworks, he sees the market as a dynamic opportunity for innovative, quality-driven brands that meet evolving consumer preferences. Alan is also a former member of the Research Committee of the Wine Market Council, which helped design industry-leading research that guided strategic decisions and attracted new member wineries.

With 30 years of passion for cider and broad experience marketing and selling both craft and large-scale beverage brands (wine, beer and cider), Alan aims to help shape effective strategies for all segments of the cider market and drive the industry’s growth.  

Ramsey Cox
BOARD MEMBER

Ramsey Cox Media Relations and Public Affairs | Portland, OR

Ramsey Cox is an accomplished communicator with more than 15 years of experience in media relations, public affairs, coalition building and management, strategic communications development and planning, storytelling and politics, among other things. She has developed a specialization on alcohol tax policy, working on projects with businesses and trade associations, including the Oregon Beverage Alliance, Washington Beer and Wine Distributors Association, Colorado Beverage Coalition, New Mexicans for Fair Taxation and the Beer Institute.

Before relocating to Portland, Oregon, and starting her own firm, Ramsey spent nearly a decade in Washington, D.C. She began her career as a reporter covering the U.S. Senate for The Hill before becoming Communications Director for U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA-01) and Director of Media Relations and Public Affairs for the Beer Institute, a trade association representing America’s beer industry at the national level, where she helped make the federal Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act permanent.

Through her work fighting alcohol excise tax increases in Oregon and Washington during the past six years, Ramsey has developed deep relationships with Pacific Northwest cidermakers, providing them tools to serve as spokespeople and advocates for our industry and community. Ramsey would welcome the opportunity to continue working alongside and aiding these valued partners through Northwest Cider Association board service with public affairs expertise.

Ashley Lindsay
BOARD MEMBER

Co-Owner, Pleasant Valley Cider Apples & Oregon Cider Growers | Sweet Home, OR

Ashley Lindsay holds degrees from the University of Hawaii and Oregon State University in Agricultural Sciences fields. Since 2017, she has been an Adjunct Professor at Chemeketa College – NW Wine Program, teaching various courses related to agricultural production and vineyard management. In 2015, Ashley and husband Brian Lindsay purchased and developed a 40 acre parcel
from bare dirt. They planted 32 acres of heirloom Cider Apples and Perry Pears, creating Pleasant Valley Cider Apples.

Pleasant Valley Cider Apples provides premium quality, sustainably grown; fruit, juice and nursery stock for cidermakers and growers throughout North America. In 2025, they started Oregon Cider Growers a collaborative project connecting growers and cidermakers in an innovative concept for furthering growth of the cider industry as a whole.

MAX DEVONPORT
BOARD MEMBER

Business Operations Director, Columbia Distributing | Seattle, WA

Originally from London, England, Max has worked in the beer and cider distribution channel for 22+ years now, starting at a family- owned distributor, Champion Brands, in Jacksonville, Florida in 2004. Then a brief stop at Diageo Beer Company in 2008, that brought him to the Pacific Northwest, he then landed at Columbia Distributing in August 2009. He has spent the last 15 years heavily involved at Columbia in managing and signing hard cider brands that range from small independent sized companies to large regional sized ones. A longtime proponent of the cider industry in the Northwest, he is always looking to continually grow the presence of cider in the crowded beverage alcohol industry.

Jana Daisy-Ensign
Executive Director

Jana has spent more than 20 years advancing mission-driven organizations through strategic leadership, communications, partnerships, fundraising, and program development, with deep roots in the craft beverage industry. Since joining the Northwest Cider Association in 2019, she has helped expand the organization’s programs, strengthen the Northwest cider community, and build demand for Northwest cider. As Interim Director, she brings deep institutional knowledge, trusted relationships, and a thoughtful, collaborative leadership style to the organization’s next chapter. Jana has served as Co-Director of the NW Cider Cup since 2021 and was among the first 16 Certified Pommeliers™ in the world. A seasoned cider judge and published writer, she was honored with NWCA’s only NW Cider Leadership Award in recognition of her contributions to the industry.

Jana’s email is janad[at]nwcider.com

LAURA KENNEDY
Marketing AND communications Director

Laura Kennedy is the Marketing and Communications Director for Northwest Cider Association, leading multi-channel strategy across member, industry and consumer audiences. Her work supports NWCA’s membership and programs, grows demand for Northwest cider, and strengthens the organization’s visibility through campaigns, content, and brand strategy.

Laura brings an entrepreneurial background and firsthand experience in agriculture to her work, along with a deep appreciation for cider. Before joining NWCA in 2023, she owned and operated a certified organic herb farm and herbal apothecary near Portland. Her love for the PNW extends beyond cider; she can often be found camping, foraging for mushrooms, and tending her garden.

Laura’s email is info[at]nwcider.com

EMILY BECKER
PROGrAM DIRECTOR

Emily Becker is a project management and event consultant who has supported NWCA’s programs since 2018. Each year, Emily coordinates the Northwest Cider Symposium & Trade Show and co-directs the NW Cider Cup. She also supports other programs as well as managing grants and sponsorships. Emily works with a variety of beverage and food system focused nonprofits bringing together diverse stakeholders to learn from each other, share best practices, collaboratively seek solutions, and celebrate together. In the cider world, she also helps behind the scenes with CiderCon. Outside of work, Emily serves on the board of the Portland Fruit Tree Project, plays in the forest, experiments in the kitchen, and ferments cider from gleaned fruit. 

Emily’s email is emilybecker[at]nwcider.com