Head Cidermaker - Production Lead - Award winning cidery

About the role

The Head Cidermaker will oversee all aspects of cider production, including fermentation management, blending, product development, sanitation, packaging, inventory, quality control, production planning, compliance support, and cellar leadership.

Responsibilities

• Cider Production & Fermentation
• Lead all cider production from juice receiving through finished product.
• Manage fermentation plans, yeast selection, nutrient additions, temperature control, racking, aging, stabilization, filtration, carbonation, and packaging readiness.
• Track fermentations daily and maintain accurate production records.
• Maintain consistency across core products while supporting innovation and seasonal releases.
• Manage wild, traditional, modern, and experimental fermentation projects when appropriate.
• Oversee blending, bench trials, fining, stabilization, and sensory evaluation.
• Ensure all finished cider meets Lost Boy’s quality standards before release.
• Product Development
• Lead new product trials and recipe development in partnership with ownership.
• Improve existing products while protecting brand identity and customer expectations.
• Develop seasonal, limited, cellar series, and specialty ciders.
• Evaluate raw materials, apple varieties, adjuncts, yeast strains, flavor profiles, and packaging formats.
• Balance creativity with commercial reality, production efficiency, and quality control.
• Participate in sensory panels and help build a stronger internal tasting and evaluation process.
• Quality Control & Food Safety
• Own quality control throughout the cider-making process.
• Maintain high standards for sanitation, cellar hygiene, and finished product integrity.
• Develop, follow, and improve SOPs for cleaning, sanitation, transfers, filtration, carbonation, packaging, and equipment use.
• Ensure proper use, storage, and documentation of cleaning chemicals and safety data sheets.
• Support compliance with applicable OSHA, FDA, TTB, Virginia ABC, and general food/beverage safety requirements.
• Maintain organized and accurate records for production, inventory, cleaning, batch tracking, and compliance.
• Build systems that reduce mistakes, improve consistency, and make the cellar easier to manage.
• Cellar, Packaging & Equipment
• Oversee daily cellar operations, including tank cleaning, transfers, kegging, canning, bottling, filtration, carbonation, and packaging preparation.
• Operate and maintain pumps, hoses, tanks, valves, filters, canning line, keg washer, forklift, pallet jack, and other cellar equipment.
• Lead and support packaging runs, including canning, kegging, bottling, labeling, case packing, and palletizing.
• Keep the production facility clean, organized, safe, and inspection-ready at all times.
• Troubleshoot minor mechanical issues and coordinate larger repairs when needed.
• Manage raw materials, packaging materials, chemicals, finished goods, kegs, and warehouse organization.
• Help improve material utilization, production flow, and packaging efficiency.
• Leadership & Team Management
• Lead, train, and support cellar and production staff.
• Create a calm, professional, high-standard production culture.
• Delegate work effectively while staying hands-on when needed.
• Communicate clearly with ownership, tasting room leadership, sales, events, and distribution partners.
• Help create production schedules that align with taproom needs, wholesale demand, seasonal releases, and packaging deadlines.
• Willingness to support occasional customer-facing events, tastings, distributor visits, sales opportunities, and educational moments.
• Inventory, Planning & Supply Chain
• Manage juice, cider, raw materials, packaging materials, kegs, chemicals, and production supplies.
• Forecast production needs and communicate purchasing requirements in advance.
• Coordinate with apple/juice suppliers, packaging vendors, chemical suppliers, and service providers.
• Track tank capacity, production timelines, packaging needs, and finished goods availability.
• Help prevent stockouts, overproduction, waste, and unnecessary rush orders.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3–5 years of hands-on experience in cider, wine, beer, or related beverage production.
• Strong understanding of fermentation management, sanitation, cellar operations, and packaging.
• Experience managing fermentations from raw juice, must, wort, or similar raw material through finished product.
• Strong sensory skills and ability to evaluate cider for balance, flaws, aroma, flavor, acidity, structure, and finish.
• Ability to maintain detailed production records and follow SOPs.
• Working knowledge of cellar equipment, pumps, hoses, tanks, filtration, carbonation, kegging, and packaging.
• Mechanical aptitude and ability to troubleshoot production issues.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple production priorities.
• Ability to lead people respectfully and hold high standards.
• Comfort working in a wet, cold, hot, loud, and physically demanding production environment.
• Must be able to lift 55–75 lbs. and perform strenuous work throughout the day.
• Must be able to stand, bend, climb, kneel, reach, carry, push, pull, and work around moving equipment.
• Must be 21 years of age or older.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.
• Must be able to reliably commute to Alexandria, VA, or relocate before starting.

Preferred Qualifications

• Formal training or coursework in cider making, winemaking, brewing, fermentation science, food science, chemistry, microbiology, or a related field.
• Experience in a Head Cidermaker, Winemaker, Brewer, Cellar Master, Production Manager, or similar leadership role.
• Familiarity with Virginia cider, wine, or beverage alcohol production.
• Experience with TTB, FDA, OSHA, Virginia ABC, HACCP, or food safety compliance.
• Experience managing production staff.
• Experience with canning lines, keg washers, filtration systems, brite tanks, and pressurized vessels.
• Forklift certification or prior forklift experience.
• Experience with Google Workspace, spreadsheets, inventory systems, production software, and digital record keeping.
• Experience developing new products, bench trials, blending trials, and sensory programs.

Who You Are

You are serious about quality. You notice details other people miss. You understand that cider making is part science, part craft, part logistics, and part discipline.

You are not afraid of physical work. You are comfortable getting wet, cleaning tanks, moving kegs, fixing small problems, and doing what needs to be done.

You are calm under pressure. You do not panic when something goes sideways. You troubleshoot, communicate, and solve the problem.

You care about cleanliness. Not “pretty clean.” Actually clean.

You are organized enough to keep records, manage inventory, follow production schedules, and protect product quality.

You are creative, but not reckless. You enjoy product development, but you respect process, consistency, and commercial reality.

You can lead a team without ego. You can teach, listen, take feedback, and hold standards.

Most importantly, you want to help build one of the best cider programs in the country.

Work Environment

This is a full-time, in-person production role at our cidery in Alexandria, Virginia. The production environment includes wet floors, chemicals, hoses, pumps, tanks, forklifts, pressurized vessels, moving mechanical parts, loud equipment, temperature changes, and physically demanding work.

The typical schedule is primarily weekday production hours, but occasional evenings, weekends, events, packaging days, harvest periods, emergency production needs, or special projects may be required.

Compensation & Benefits

• Lost Boy Cider offers a competitive compensation package for a hands-on production leader, with salary expected around $70,000 annually, depending on experience and overall fit.
• Benefits may include:
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Employee discounts
• Professional development opportunities
• Cider education opportunities
• Potential retirement benefits
• Opportunity for future compensation growth based on company performance, production leadership, and expanded responsibilities
• Opportunity to help lead and shape an award-winning cider company

How to Apply

Interested candidates should send a resume here.

Head Cidermaker Application

In your cover letter, tell us:

• Why you are interested in Lost Boy Cider
• Your relevant cider, wine, beer, or beverage production experience
• Your experience leading production, cellar, quality, or packaging operations
• A cider, wine, beer, or fermentation project you are proud of
• Why you believe you are the right person to lead this production program