What Cicerone Certification Program does

Cicerone Certification Program (legally registered as Craft Beer Institute in Illinois) is a private, founder-led certification organization founded in 2008 by Ray Daniels in Chicago. It operates a four-tier professional credentialing hierarchy for the beer industry — Certified Beer Server, Certified Cicerone, Advanced Cicerone, and Master Cicerone — analogous to the sommelier credential in wine. Exams are delivered online (via the ProctorFree AI-assisted proctoring platform with human review for the written portions) and in-person at venues across more than 50 countries, in multiple languages including English, Spanish, Chinese, French, Portuguese, Korean, and Dutch. The program also sells proprietary study products: the BeerSavvy eLearning course, the Road to Cicerone modular course series, flash cards, and off-flavor training kits.

The company monetizes primarily through per-attempt exam fees (ranging from $79 for Beer Server up to $995 for the Master Cicerone exam, with lower retake fees), with secondary revenue from eLearning subscriptions, physical and digital study materials, and a B2B bulk/group training program for employers in brewing, distribution, hospitality, and retail. Pricing is non-refundable and volume discounts are available for organizations purchasing two or more exams. The company has issued 125,000+ Certified Beer Server credentials cumulatively and has credentialed 29 Master Cicerones globally.

Operationally, Cicerone is a small organization (11–50 employees) that ships physical merchandise from a Chicago warehouse, maintains a public directory of certified professionals, and distributes content via its own website, email newsletter, and social channels. It is independently owned by its founder with no disclosed institutional or venture backing, and it operates as a profitable, capital-light certification business.

Name

Cicerone Certification Program

Legal name

Craft Beer Institute

Website

https://cicerone.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cicerone Certification Program (legal name: Craft Beer Institute) is a privately held, Chicago-based certification organization founded in 2008 that operates a four-tier beer professional credentialing hierarchy (Certified Beer Server through Master Cicerone) serving breweries, distributors, restaurants, bars, and retailers in over 50 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Certification Services

NAICS

Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Certification & Licensing Exam Management Platforms (EDAFADAG)

Keywords

• Beer certification
• Professional certification
• Beer education
• ELearning platform
• Exam administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Certification Exam Fees: Primary revenue stream from exam registration fees at multiple certification levels. Fees are non-refundable and include specific attempt allowances.
2. Online Courses and Training Materials: BeerSavvy eLearning program and Road to Cicerone online courses sold individually or in bundles for exam preparation.
3. Group/Bulk Training Programs: Enterprise licensing and bulk exam purchases for organizations training multiple employees, with volume discounts and management controls.
4. Study Materials and Flashcards: Physical and digital study materials including flash cards, beer style profile cards, and off-flavor training kits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cicerone Certification Program certifies and educates beer professionals through a four-tier certification hierarchy (Certified Beer Server, Certified Cicerone, Advanced Cicerone, Master Cicerone) covering keeping and serving beer, beer styles, flavor and evaluation, ingredients and brewing, and beer and food pairing. The company supports exam preparation with the proprietary BeerSavvy eLearning course, the Road to Cicerone online course series, off-flavor training kits, flash cards, and in-person classes, and delivers written exams online and tasting/demonstration exams at in-person venues worldwide.

Product overview

The Cicerone Certification Program is a professional certification organization for beer experts offering a four-level certification hierarchy: Certified Beer Server (entry-level), Certified Cicerone (professional-level), Advanced Cicerone (expert-level), and Master Cicerone (master-level). The primary study product is BeerSavvy® Online eLearning Program for entry-level certification. The Road to Cicerone course series covers beer styles (American, Belgian, German/Czech, British/Irish), keeping and serving beer, and brewing ingredients and process. Additional offerings include flashcards, in-person classes, and off-flavor training kits. Exams are available in multiple languages including English, Spanish, Chinese, French, Portuguese, Korean, and Dutch. The program also offers bulk/group training options for organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BeerSavvy: Online eLearning program for Certified Beer Server exam preparation, including lessons, videos, interactive activities, quizzes, and printable beer style profile cards.

Products and services

• BeerSavvy Online eLearning Program Web-based self-paced eLearning course with eight professionally designed modules, lessons, videos, interactive activities, quizzes, and printable beer style profile cards that prepares candidates for the Certified Beer Server exam. 90-day license access; priced at $199 per person and bundled with the Certified Beer Server exam (up to two attempts).
• Certified Beer Server Certification Entry-level certification for those who work with beer. 60-question online multiple-choice exam covering beer keeping, service, styles, flavors, brewing process, ingredients, and beer and food pairing. Passing score is 75% (45/60). Cost is $79 USD including up to two exam attempts.
• Certified Cicerone Certification Second-level professional certification for individuals dedicated to beer. Three-part exam consisting of written, tasting, and demonstration portions. Passing requires 80% overall and 70% on tasting. Total cost is $400 (written $225 + tasting/demonstration $175).
• Advanced Cicerone Certification Third-level certification distinguishing individuals with expert-level beer knowledge. Day-long examination including multiple written, oral, and tasting components. Requires 80% overall and 75% on tasting. First-time cost is $795; retake tasting $300; retake written $375.
• Master Cicerone Certification Highest-level Cicerone recognition for individuals with encyclopedic beer knowledge and highly refined tasting ability. Two-day examination with multiple written, oral, and tasting components. Requires 85% to pass. First-time exam cost is $995; retake $796. Typically administered once per year in October or November. Starting in 2018, candidates must have passed the Advanced Cicerone exam to register.
• Road to Cicerone Online Course Series Self-paced online course series designed for beer professionals and Certified Cicerone exam preparation, sold as individual courses per topic. Courses cover American beer styles, Belgian beer styles, German and Czech beer styles, British and Irish beer styles, keeping and serving beer (draft systems and service), and brewing ingredients and process. Each course takes 6-12 hours to complete and includes a practice exam.
• Single-User Basic Off-Flavor Training Kit Physical training kit teaching six basic beer off-flavors using brewery-quality standards. Includes off-flavor spikes, instructions, and access to a companion online course. Priced at $69.00.
• Cicerone Flash Cards Study aid flash cards available for purchase to help candidates prepare for Cicerone certification exams.
• Cicerone In-Person Classes In-person beer educational courses offered at venues globally for group training and exam preparation, including full-day training programs for organizations.
• Cicerone Flavor Training Flavor training resources including off-flavor kits and tutored tasting webinars to help candidates gain familiarization with common beer off-flavors such as acetaldehyde and other flavor defects.
• Group/Bulk Training Programs Enterprise licensing and bulk exam purchasing program for organizations training multiple employees across breweries, distributors, restaurants, bars, and retailers. Includes volume discounts, voucher codes for exam access, and a managerial dashboard for tracking employee progress.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 125,000 individuals have earned Certified Beer Server certification globally
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ProctorFreecoreTechnology or IntegrationProctorFree provides AI-powered online exam proctoring with human review for the Certified Cicerone and Advanced Cicerone written exams. All questions are the same as paper/in-person exams. Webcam and microphone recording during exams with screen monitoring.
• Fullers Griffin Brewery (London)minorOthersLondon venue hosting Certified Cicerone tasting and demonstration exams on August 11, 2026.
• Boston Beer CompanyminorOthersBoston location hosting Certified Cicerone tasting and demonstration exams in November 2026.
• White Labs (San Diego)minorOthersSan Diego venue hosting Certified Cicerone tasting and demonstration exams on September 22, 2026.
• The Beverage Clique Academy (Singapore)minorOthersSingapore venue hosting Certified Cicerone tasting and demonstration exams on July 25, 2026.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET): WSET is the direct category analog for wine and spirits — a multi-tier professional certification (Levels 1–4 with Diploma) that issues a globally recognized credential to beverage professionals. Like Cicerone, it monetizes via exam fees and approved course providers and operates across dozens of countries; it is the benchmark Cicerone is explicitly compared to ('sommelier of beer').
• Court of Master Sommeliers: The Court administers the four-tier Master Sommelier Diploma for wine service professionals, with rigorous in-person tasting and theory exams. It mirrors Cicerone's structure (Certified/Advanced/Master tiers, multi-day practical exams, low pass rates at the top tier) and targets the same hospitality buyer even though the beverage category is wine rather than beer.
• Society of Wine Educators: Society of Wine Educators offers the Certified Wine Educator and Certified Spirits Educator credentials, plus a Wine & Spirits Specialist track. It is a content-and-exam-based certification body with practitioner exams, study materials, and bulk training — directly comparable to Cicerone's tiered-cert-and-study-material model in an adjacent beverage category.
• International Sommelier Guild (ISG): ISG delivers tiered sommelier certification (Certified Sommelier through Master Sommelier) via approved schools worldwide with a similar exam-and-course revenue model. It competes for the same hospitality and on-premise training budget as Cicerone and shares the tiered-cert, low top-tier-pass-rate dynamic.
• Institute of Brewing & Distilling (IBD): IBD offers the General Certificate in Brewing, Diploma in Brewing, Master Brewer, and distilling equivalents — technical professional credentials for brewing industry employees. It overlaps directly with Cicerone's brewery-side clientele, addressing the same knowledge-domain (beer ingredients, processes, quality) with the same tiered-cert structure.
• Specialty Coffee Association (SCA): SCA operates the Coffee Skills Program and Q-Grader credential for coffee professionals through authorized trainers in many countries. It is the closest category analog for a non-alcoholic beverage: tiered certifications, partner training network, employer-relevant credentialing, and content marketplace — directly comparable to Cicerone's operating model in coffee.

Broad incumbents

• Brewers Association: The Brewers Association is the trade body for U.S. craft brewers and offers industry training, the Certified Beer Judge program, and educational resources. Cicerone's founder Ray Daniels spent nine years there; it is both a feeder of talent into Cicerone certifications and a broader-incumbent in beer-industry education rather than a head-to-head competitor.
• Siebel Institute of Technology: Siebel Institute offers formal brewing-science diplomas and continuing-education courses for working brewers, with both in-person and online delivery. Ray Daniels is a current senior faculty member. It is a complementary/competing education provider focused on the production side of the beer industry vs. Cicerone's front-of-house expertise focus.

Regional players

• American Sommelier Association: American Sommelier Association is a U.S.-focused wine certification body offering Certified Sommelier through Master Sommelier prep via in-person intensives. It competes for the same on-premise training budget but is geographically narrower than Cicerone, whose exam network spans 50+ countries and operates globally.

Emerging players

• BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program): BJCP certifies competition beer judges rather than service professionals, using tiered exams (Certified, National, Master) and a judge-ranked tasting exam. It targets a narrower persona (judges at homebrew competitions) but competes with Cicerone for talent and credibility in the 'expert beer knowledge' segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cicerone
• Facebookfacebook.com/cicerone.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cicerone-certification-program
• Instagraminstagram.com/cicerone
• Pinterestpinterest.com/ciceroneprogram

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cicerone Certification Program