Cider Maker

Pay Rate: $20-$27 per hour depending on prior brewery and cidery experience

The Cider Maker plays a critical role on the rapidly growing team at Downeast Cider.This is an opportunity to work in a cidery making truly exceptional ciders. You will learn how we make our unique ciders, and you will be responsible for all aspects of the day-to-day cider production operations including offloading juice, monitoring fermentation, blending and pasteurizing, transferring product using pumps, operating our centrifuge, and cleaning. You will learn and adhere to all cider making specific standard operating procedures, quality control processes, and sanitation practices.

This is an excellent role for an entry level candidate eager to start their career in cider making and learn a lot very quickly, or an experienced cider maker who is ready to take on higher volumes, new flavors, and constant innovation.

What you’ll do:

Rehydrate and pitch yeast and nutrients

Monitor gravities, temperatures, and carbonations

Prepare new ferments

Schedule rackings, fermentations, and fining of cider

Deaerate and carbonate finished product

Taste and blend ciders

Conduct sanitary transfer of liquid ingredients

Perform brite tank and fermentation vessel CIP’s

Maintain and manage ingredient storage

Ensure quality control throughout all aspects of the cider making process

Who you are:

Strong work ethic

Ability to work at a fast pace on your feet

Flexible schedule to work various shifts

Ability to lift 50lb bags and hoses regularly

Able to speak and read English fluently

Bonus points if you have…

Previous cellar experience strongly preferred

Knowledge of pasteurization/heat exchange

Knowledge of brewing/vitner chemistry procedures (TA and sulfite titration, cell counts)

Experience working with an ERP system

Proficiency in google sheets

Don’t check all the boxes? We know there’s no such thing as a perfect candidate, so if this is a role you feel passionate about we encourage you to apply with a one-page cover letter explaining why this post speaks to you. Drop the “to whom it may concern” and give it to us straight - why you?

What we offer:

16 PTO days your first year

Paid holidays

Paid sick days

Paid bereavement days

Paid parental leave

401k with company match

Health & dental insurance from day 1

Company provided short term disability

Annual PPE stipend

Cider allowance (how big is your fridge?)

All offers of employment are contingent upon the successful completion of a background check, conducted after a conditional job offer has been made. Candidates will have the opportunity to review and respond to any findings.

About Downeast Cider

We aspire to build an enduring company with a world-class brand, known as an extraordinary place to work. It’s been 12 years since our first batches of unfiltered cider were fermented in the dorms of Bates College, Maine, and while we’ve gained 231 new teammates and 1.6million cases of tasty drinks - with a growing assortment beyond cider - we remain 100% founder-owned. We’re a scrappy team that enjoys the hard work of creating a company because we get to work on fun things with people we like.

We like to hire the way we like our cider, unfiltered. With the understanding that we can learn and grow from each other’s differences, we are proud to hire regardless of gender, race, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, disability, age, or anything else that makes us who we are.