Aspall announce £1m investment :: Print Version | National Association of Cider Makers

Aspall announce £1m investment

April 06 2010

To further support its strong growth over the last year, Aspall is investing in excess of £1m behind its premium range of Suffolk cyders.

The first stage of the investment includes new label designs which are being rolled out from this month across the four-strong range in both the on and off-trade. New amber-coloured glass bottles replace the current green version, and feature a larger and less-cluttered front bottle label, with Government health and sensible drinking messages clearly displayed on the back label.

A wrap-around neck label has been added to the bottle, displaying the cyder’s 100% apple juice content and the iconic Aspall knight. A new black bottle cap with a gold rim also features the Aspall knight.

The range is available in the same 500ml size as before. In response to increasing demand, Perronelle’s Blush and Aspall Draught Suffolk Cyder will also now be available in new 330ml bottles for on-trade customers. The new bottle will be a replica of the current 500ml bottle and will allow licensees to store the bottle in the fridge more easily since the new version is not as tall.

Aspall is also introducing new PoS material for Perronelle’s Blush and Draught which includes contemporary-looking coasters, tent cards and posters. New heavy-weight wooden-framed parasols are now available for selected on-trade customers, to help pubs spruce up their gardens in the run-up to the summer.

Aspall commercial director, Geoff Bradman, says: ‘Although evolutionary rather than revolutionary, we have spent a good deal of time designing our new contemporary-looking packaging and are delighted with the final result. The cleaner-looking front label is much easier to read and we were careful to ensure that the redesign enhances the communication of the brand’s quality and premium credentials.

‘We added the 100% apple juice content message to the bottle neck since our research showed that this was one of the elements that consumers associated most with Aspall Suffolk Cyder. It is a combination of this and the complex blend of both bitter-sweet and culinary apples, which gives the cyders their exquisite taste profiles. The next stage of the brand investment, concerning on-trade developments, will be unveiled later in the spring.’