Windy City Distribution’s Sales Force All Become Certified Cicerones
The Cicerone Certification Program recently announced that Warrenville, Illinois-based specialty beer wholesaler Windy City Distribution has become the first beer distributor in America whose sales force have all attained the rank of Certified Cicerone™.
The five new Certified Cicerones™ include: Judith Gobey, Philip Lando, James Miller, Wesley Nathan Phillips and Daniel R. Schnarr.
To become a Certified Cicerone™, individuals must pass a three-hour written exam and 12-sample tasting test. The knowledge covered by the exam is set forth in the program’s 19-page Master Syllabus, which can be found on Cicerone’s website.
“As Certified Cicerones, the Windy City sales representatives have demonstrated both knowledge and tasting skill,” said Ray Daniels, Director of the Cicerone Certification Program. “They know everything from the right way to operate a draft system and how to brew beer to the specifics of more than 60 beer styles and how to pair foods with them.”
“Beer knowledge is essential for specialty beer sales,” says Jason Ebel, Co-Founder of Windy City Distribution. “We hire and train to ensure that our representatives understand the beers they sell so that they can serve as a resource for the bars, restaurants and stores that they work with. We strive to have our representatives to be thought of as beer consultants, not sales people, and having all the reps become Certified Cicerones is an important step.”
Windy City Distribution handles strictly craft and specialty beers from more than 30 different brewers and importers for the entire Chicagoland area.
The Cicerone Certification Program provides three levels of professional credentials for those who sell and serve beer. More than 500 individuals hold the first level credential called Certified Beer Server. Only 43 of those have progressed to the more challenging Certified Cicerone™.
This fall, the Program will run the first exam for Master Cicerone™–a rigorous and comprehensive two day assessment of beer knowledge and tasting skill. The Cicerone Certification Program is a service of the Craft Beer Institute, the Chicago-based beer and brewing education organization.
Click here for more information on the Cicerone Certification Program.
Click here for further information on Windy City Distirbution
