International Mead Association

Well folks, it's official. The International Mead Association is now a reality. Everything is still in the organization and planning stages, but things are coming together. Committees have been formed and people are setting down ideas and where to start working on them.

Briefly, the goals of the IMA are promotion and education, and to be involved in legislation regarding state & federal laws for winery/brewery operators. The annual Meadfest will continue to be an important event for both the meadery industry and home meadmakers.

This is really exciting news. People have been talking about the American Mead Association ever since its demise, asking if it was going to come back again. The new IMA is going to pick up on where the AMA left off, but because its being built on the foundation of the annual Meadfest, there is an even greater potential.

Gotta head out for now. The seminars are going to start in about an hour.

When you have a minute, please let us all know how we can join, support, or in any other way participate in this!!!!!!!!!!!

Click to expand...

Things are still very new -- committees have been set up, but it will be a while before it gets fully worked out. For the time being, the meadfest web site, www.meadfest.com, will be the place to check for updates on the status of the IMA. Later on it will have its own website.

I keep thinking about Pamela Spence, founder of the American Mead Association, hacking out the first AMA newsletters on a typewriter. It's nice to think that the vision she had for a mead organization has been revived again.

What ever happened to the American Mead Association. I remember that the head of it was killed in a car accident a few year ago, but they had lots of info and a great news letter the American Mead maker. Hopefully that info has been saved and could be made available on Got Mead!

Click to expand...

The American Mead Association was founded by Pamela Spence, who kept it going for a few years as a non profit grassroots organization. It was mostly a labor of love requiring lots of time investment and eventually she had to give it up. Susanne Price took over as the new head of the AMA at that point. Under her leadership the AMA journals took on a new look -- Pamela Spence had been typing out the articles on a typewriter, using lots of great looking graphics, but Susanne was able to give the publications a more professional look. As you're aware, she was killed in a motor vehicle accident.

I'm not sure of the full story, but just before her death, Julian Strekel, who had also been involved with the AMA, became a co-director with Susanne Price. After her death Julian took over the managment of the AMA. By then the AMA had become involved in selling honey marketed specifically for meadmaking and brewing. Julian also advertised having found a solution to the varroa mite problem that has been plaguing the beekeeping/honey industry but wouldn't say what it was. The ad only gave contact numbers for the AMA for further information.

Some of the business practices in effect at that time seem to have been illegal -- in any case the business structure of the AMA caved in after that. Julian's ad had all the looks of a scam. Some of the AMA people in leadership positions quietly left town with no contact information, including Julian. They also took a lot of the AMA records with them.

A real shame. Pamela Spence and Susanne Price were both very dedicated people, wanting to see the AMA continue and become an influence. It looks like Susanne's decision to delegate leadership of the AMA resulted in her losing control of the organization, with the subsequent results of having it go under.

I don't know how many people still have copies of the publications of the AMA. I have the collection, as does Vickie. Some time ago I made copies of my collection and sent them to Paul Gatza, to be placed in the AHA library as a public reference.

I wouldn't want to go so far as to say that the written material is a vital source of information on meadmaking. There are some good articles here and there, the rest of it makes for interesting reading. Its historical value is important, as it represents a key aspect in meadmaking in the USA.