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GMPs, SAFETY & SANITATION FOR CIDERY OWNERS AND OPERATORS

Advanced safety, sanitation, and food-production systems
for cider and perry businesses

BUILD DOCUMENTED SYSTEMS FOR SAFER CIDERY OPERATIONS

Learn the systems, procedures, and operational knowledge required to run a safer, more sanitary, and more accountable cidery.

BUILD SAFER PRODUCTION SYSTEMS

Develop documented, repeatable procedures that help protect your products, employees, customers, and production environment.

STRENGTHEN SANITATION PRACTICES

Understand how effective cleaning, sanitization, maintenance, and monitoring procedures help prevent contamination, spoilage, and avoidable production problems.

PREPARE FOR REGULATORY OVERSIGHT

Build the records, procedures, and operational systems needed to demonstrate safe and sanitary practices to customers, auditors, and government inspectors.

APPLY HACCP PRINCIPLES

Learn how to identify potential hazards, establish appropriate controls, and develop a HACCP plan that reflects the realities of your cider or perry operation.

As part of this course, all participants will develop and receive feedback on a HACCP plan specific to your business.

This advanced online, self-directed course is designed specifically for cidery owners and operators responsible for production safety, sanitation, quality systems, workplace practices, and regulatory readiness.

Developed by Cider Institute instructors at Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, this course provides an in-depth introduction to the formal systems that support modern food and beverage production.

Participants will study current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs), preventive controls, occupational safety, sanitation, record-keeping, Quality Assurance (QA), Quality Control (QC), and HACCP principles while connecting food safety requirements to the practical responsibilities of owning or operating a cidery.

Enroll for $450 USD

Good Manufacturing Practices help cideries maintain sanitary production environments, protect product quality, and reduce potential food safety risks.

Throughout this training, participants will explore the eight key sanitary conditions and practices included within current Good Manufacturing Practices and learn how they apply throughout cider and perry production.

The course also introduces the essential principles of:

  • Good Manufacturing Practices
  • Quality Assurance
  • Quality Control
  • Food and production safety
  • Sanitation procedures
  • HACCP fundamentals

WHAT'S INSIDE THIS COURSE

  1. Course Introduction

    2 lessons
    1. Welcome to the course!
    2. Course Syllabus

  2. Quality Systems & Preventative Controls

    3 lessons
    1. Know Your Initials: GMPs, QA, QC & HACCP
    2. HACCP Foundations
    3. FSMA and Federal Food Safety Regulations

  3. Good Manufacturing Practices

    4 lessons
    1. GMPs - Part I
    2. GMPs - Part II
    3. GMPs: The Canadian Context
    4. Quiz #1

  4. Workplace Safety

    2 lessons
    1. Occupational Health & Safety Policies and Procedures, Safety Hazards
    2. OSHA Chemical and Ergonomic Hazards

  5. Sanitation Practices

    4 lessons
    1. Cleaning & Sanitation Protocol
    2. Examples of Cleaners and Sanitizers
    3. Personal Protection Equipment
    4. Resource: Preparation of Sanitizing Solution

  6. Standard Operating Procedures and Records

    3 lessons
    1. SSPs & SSOPs
    2. Other Records
    3. Quiz #2

  7. Developing a HACCP Plan

    2 lessons
    1. Developing a HACCP Plan
    2. Resources for Developing a HACCP Plan

WHO THIS COURSE IS FOR

This course is designed for:

  • Cidery owners
  • Cidery operators
  • Production managers
  • Head cidermakers
  • Operations managers
  • Quality and compliance personnel
  • Individuals responsible for sanitation programs
  • Individuals responsible for workplace or product safety
  • Producers preparing for inspection, expansion, or formalized compliance systems

Employees seeking a shorter course for annual safety-training requirements should enroll in Good Manufacturing Practices for Cidery Employees.

COURSE FORMAT

  • Self-directed online learning
  • Six hours of prerecorded course content
  • Six weeks of course access
  • Advanced instruction for cidery owners and operators
  • Practical application to a working cider or perry operation
  • Required development and submission of a HACCP plan, with customized feedback for your business.
  • The flexibility to revisit lessons throughout the access period

PREREQUISITE

Participants should have completed the Foundation Certificate in Cider & Perry Production or have relevant experience owning, managing, or operating a cidery.

This is an advanced course and assumes familiarity with commercial cider production environments.

BY THE END OF THIS COURSE,
PARTICIPANTS WILL BE ABLE TO:

  • Understand the importance of Good Manufacturing Practices, Quality Assurance, and Quality Control throughout the cider and perry production process
  • Explain the principles, methods, and applications of GMP, QA, and QC systems
  • Recognize how Good Manufacturing Practices should be developed and implemented across the complete manufacturing process
  • Understand the importance and practical application of HACCP
  • Identify and implement safer working practices throughout cider and perry production
  • Understand the effective application of cleaning, sanitization, equipment maintenance, and facility maintenance
  • Recognize the importance of accurate, consistent, and accessible record-keeping
  • Evaluate whether existing safety and sanitation procedures adequately protect products, employees, and customers

HOW YOU WILL LEARN

This course combines structured online instruction with practical application to your own production environment.

Participants will learn through:

  • Six hours of prerecorded course instruction
  • Research-based lessons developed for cider and perry producers
  • Industry-specific safety and sanitation examples
  • Good Manufacturing Practice guidance
  • Preventive-control concepts
  • Occupational safety instruction
  • Cleaning and sanitization principles
  • Record-keeping guidance
  • HACCP planning and development
  • One-on-one instructor consultation
  • Completion and submission of a HACCP plan

The emphasis is not only on understanding safety and sanitation requirements, but on turning that knowledge into documented systems that can be used within a working cidery.

YOUR INSTRUCTORS

CORTNI STAHL

Cortni Stahl is the co-owner and head cidermaker of Star Cider in Canandaigua, New York, where she crafts a diverse portfolio of ciders inspired by old-world cider-making traditions and the agricultural heritage of the Finger Lakes. 

Cortni earned a degree in Biology from Cornell University before apprenticing at Headframe Spirits in Montana and serving as head cidermaker at Blue Toad Hard Cider in Virginia. Since 2014, she has worked with and taught through Cornell University's Craft Beverage Program and the Cornell Craft Beverage Laboratory. 

Dedicated to advancing the cider industry through education, collaboration, and innovation, Cortni combines scientific expertise with traditional and modern cider-making techniques to produce ciders that reflect both craftsmanship and a true sense of place.

CHRIS GERLING

Chris Gerling is a Senior Extension Associate in the Department of Food Science at Cornell AgriTech in Geneva, NY. He works with the craft beverage industry to create educational programs that support the growth and improved quality of premium wines, ciders, and distilled spirits.

He manages the Vinification & Brewing Technology Lab, where fermentations are conducted for research projects and industry trials, as well as the Cornell Craft Beverage Analysis Lab, where products may be submitted for troubleshooting, routine analysis, or sensory appraisal.

WHY LEARN WITH CIDER INSTITUTE?

 The Cider Institute connects scientific research, technical knowledge, and practical production experience to provide education grounded in the realities of cidermaking.

RESEARCH-BASED Grounded in scientific research and technical knowledge.

EXPERT-LED Developed and taught by experienced cider professionals, researchers, and educators.

PRACTICAL Focused on knowledge and skills you can apply in production.

CONNECTED Built through collaboration with cider professionals, universities, and research institutions.

 

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