Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) is helping to lead the expansion of professional cider education worldwide, with research and industry collaboration at the core.

CCOVI’s Micro-credential Co-ordinator Steven Trussler recently brought Brock’s unique expertise abroad by teaching Cider and Perry Production — A Foundation in Kent, United Kingdom, to producers and researchers from Canada, the United States, Italy, Hungary and Lithuania as well as prominent cider producers from the U.K. and Ireland.

While the course has been previously taught at Brock, Cornell University, Virginia State University and Washington State University, the week of immersive learning in the U.K. from March 16 to 20 marked a milestone as the first in-person offering outside of North America.

The first in-person international delivery of Cider and Perry Production — A Foundation took place from March 16 to 20 in Kent, U.K. Led by Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute, participants included cider producers and researchers from Canada, the United States, Italy, Hungary, Lithuania, the U.K. and Ireland.

A former commercial winemaker, Trussler said seeing academia and industry team up throughout the course was a transformational experience.

“Teaching and learning is social, and gathering to share knowledge is a powerful tool for professional development,” he said.

Brock has been involved in cider and perry production training over the past decade in collaboration with the Cider Institute, formerly the Cider Institute of North America. The organization recently widened its scope to grow internationally and aims to expand global education in cider and perry production.

The institute is a co-operation between Brock, Cornell University, Virginia State University and Washington State University, with instructors, course developers and producers from across North America.

“Collectively, we are stepping up to fill an important professional and continuing studies space in the industry through initiatives like our foundations course — our flagship Cider Institute one-week intensive developed by members that we are now sharing on a global stage,” Trussler said.

Barb Tatarnic, CCOVI’s Manager of Professional Studies and Outreach, said the initiative represents a significant step forward in the breadth of programs CCOVI offers as Canada’s authority in skills-based professional and continuing studies for the grape, wine, cider and spirits industries.

“The strength of our programs gives us the opportunity to expand our international reach with the leading edge, hands-on programs we are known for,” she said.

Participants who complete Cider and Perry Production — A Foundation are eligible for a micro-credential from Brock and certification from the Cider Institute.

CCOVI’s efforts in the advancement of cider and perry knowledge on a broad scale is particularly timely, Trussler said, as there has been a resurgence in interest in recent years. The cider production boom of the pre-Industrial Revolution era was wiped out in North America during the temperance movement of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

“Not much formalized institutional knowledge in Canada and the U.S. survived, but cider production carried on in the U.K. — the world’s largest producer and consumers of cider — and Ireland, and parts of France like Normandy,” he said.

Thanks to these enclaves where cider traditions continued, Trussler said there is an exciting opportunity to bridge traditional production with innovative and knowledge-based scientific ideas to chart a new path for the industry’s future.

The emerging consumer trend towards lower alcohol consumption also benefits cider and perry, said Trussler, who noted that cider is naturally a lower alcohol choice that provides great opportunity for growth and innovation.

“We are thrilled at CCOVI to be bringing our unique knowledge and expertise to further collaboration with global partners and lead the way by delivering professional and continuing studies with meaningful impact for the global industry,” he said.