The MCA Board of Directors works tirelessly for our members and the Michigan cidermaking community to continue growing a thriving Michigan cider industry. In addition to their work within their cider businesses, they serve on committees, foster critical connections and collaboration opportunities, help develop our strategic plan, and serve as a resource for MCA members.
Elections for our four-person board are held during The Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable, and Farm Market Expo at the MCA Annual Meeting. All board members volunteer to serve and commit to a one-year term with the option to run for re-election.
Paul Vander Heide - President
In 2006, Paul and his wife Amanda started Vander Mill, currently located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The vision was simple: build a small-town cider mill where people can feel at home. Though the brand quickly gained momentum, the ciders still have the same craft and care at their core. Paul has served as a board member and President of the American Cider Association, as well as a founding member and President of the Michigan Cider Association. He also serves as an executive board member for the Cider Institute of North America.
John Behrens - Treasurer
John Behrens is the Founder and President of Farmhaus Cider Company, located in Hudsonville, Michigan. Farmhaus Cider Co. was founded in 2015 and has gone on to win many national and international accolades and awards. John began his first term as President of the Michigan Cider Association in 2018. Previously, he worked as a Certified Public Accountant for over 10 years at BDO USA and Steelcase. John holds an MBA from Grand Valley State University, in addition to degrees in Accounting and Finance. John represents the Midwest region for the American Cider Association, as well as serving as the ACA Board Treasurer.
Jeffrey Cottrell - Membership Coordinator
Hailing from Saginaw, Michigan, he is the part time Membership Coordinator for the MCA. His day job is as the Chief Curator at the Castle Museum of Saginaw County History. Other interests include volunteering his time as President of the Saginaw County Sports Hall of Fame and as a board member for the International Sports Heritage Association. Jeff likes to spend time playing his bass, traveling to Michigan cideries, and getting to know the owners/makers and the products they produce. He loves to help those producers press apples into the cider used to ply their craft. His home orchard boasts eight apple trees (MM111) which inspire his contributions to the noncommercial side of GLINTCAP. He has been involved with GLINTCAP as a competitor since 2015 and a GLINTCAP staff member since 2016 beginning in CCP Level 1 was achieved in 2023 and the Certified Pommelier was completed in 2025. Jeffrey and Haley have been married for over 16 years and they have two children.
Chaz Judy
Chaz is the Head Winemaker at Petoskey Farms Vineyard Winery Orchard and Coffeehouse with over eighteen years of experience in viticulture and oenology, producing hybrid and vinifera wines, mead, port-style wines, fruit wines, and hard ciders.
After fifteen years of fermentation management in the greater Kansas City area, he partnered with Petoskey Farms, where the work introduced new technical challenges and opportunities for professional growth.
Max Koskela
Spending much of my formative years in Germany has helped me form bonds across cultural and linguistic differences, offering a different perspective and approach to challenges. I can truly say Michigan is a unique place, allowing us to grow a multitude of fruit, including some of the best apples in the country. And, even more important to the success of our industry in Michigan are the people that allow us to make world-class cider. Nearly a decade ago my brother and I set about doing cider differently, starting with proper ingredients…using cider apples from our farm on the Leelanau Peninsula in Northern Michigan. We set about making cider using cider-specific apples, the only problem being…no one grew these “old world” varieties. This is where I set out to learn to graft apple trees to make these ciders and “Graft to Glass” was born. Since 2012, we have grafted and planted nearly 22,000 apple trees; 30 different varieties of English, French, and American apples. Just like our approach at the farm, I see attention to detail fundamental to everything I do. As a grower and manufacturer, I understand the challenges facing farmers and the beverage industry as a whole. Slumping demand, rising costs of inputs, and generational shifts in how they view alcohol cannot be solved overnight. These headwinds can be overcome, but we must work together to highlight the stories and products that make our industry truly special.
Dr. Nikki Rothwell
Dr. Nikki Rothwell leads the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Center (NWMHRC) with her MSU team members, using 21st-century research methods and honoring MSU’s agricultural historical roots and continuing mission of discovery and outreach. In addition to research, the station offers education on cutting-edge growing techniques, pest and pathogen control, irrigation, and other items to help local farmers thrive. In the fall of 2008, Nikki and her husband, Dan Young, opened Tandem Ciders in Suttons Bay, Michigan. Nikki and Dan added Sadie B. to the Tandem team in 2012, and they are on the lookout for a bicycle built for three. There is rarely a time when you can’t find one of them behind the bar!
