May 25, 2017
The National Association of Cider Makers (NACM) has launched a manifesto detailing the requirements of the UK cider industry as we approach the 2017 General Election, and beyond. It highlights cider as a great British success story, with its significant contribution to the national and regional economy, as well as the rural communities in which it operates.
The document, which can be found here, outlines the priorities for the cider industry as we head into the General Election, and with Brexit on the horizon. In order to secure the future for the great British cider industry, the NACM has 4 key requirements:
1.) Provide fair excise treatment for cider, helping to encourage innovation, protecting traditional ciders and to support a return to growth for the cider industry
2.) Support British cider export through the provision of free trade agreements and policies that enable increased export and promote great British cider across the globe
3.) Support Britain’s rural communities with improved infrastructure and investment in rural skills development, as well as regulatory frameworks supporting local businesses
4.) Protect British Orchards by encouraging apple growing through agricultural payment schemes, promoting commercial apple growing and promoting heritage orchards
Helen Thomas, NACM Chair, comments:
” The NACM manifesto outlines the key requirements for the great British cider industry for the General Election. It serves to underpin the crucial role that cider plays nationally and regionally, and we hope that all politicians and prospective candidates will understand the needs of the category to secure the future of great British cider.”
Ends
The NACM General Election Manifesto can be found here
May 12, 2017
It’s take time again folks. With these sunny spring days come good cider news. Here’s the latest:
Thatchers launch their 2016 Vintage Cider complete with new branding s they seek to drive premium cider growth.
Meanwhile, down the road in Somerset, Sheppy’s unveils new branding to emphasise its premium positioning
The Morning Advertiser has undertaken a full review of all the latest trends in cider and what to expect for summer and the rest of the year
May 12, 2017
The Skittery family in Herefordshire have been crowned the overall winners in HEINEKEN’s Golden Apple Awards.
HEINEKEN, the name behind some of the nation’s best loved ciders including Bulmers and Strongbow, holds the biennial event to celebrate the contribution its orchard growers make in providing the great quality British cider apples it needs every year.
The Golden Apple Awards celebrate commitment to quality, land management and sustainability. The Skitterys’ farm, run by brothers James and Michael, was crowned the winner as judges were impressed by their attention to detail in every aspect of orcharding. The team prune every tree every year, leading to healthy trees and consistent high quality fruit. The Skitterys also take great care in making sure they protect and enhance the local environment.
This is the second time the family have won – their father, David, was awarded the Golden Apple in 1987. The farm in Little Marcle was originally planted in 1975 and James and Michael now have 75 acres of orchards, or 18,000 trees, growing 20-25 tonnes of fruit per acre.
James Skittery said: “We were delighted to have won this prestigious award and are really happy that we managed to keep it a secret for so long. The event itself was a great success and we are all pleased and proud to have this recognition from the judges.”
After presenting the awards, David Forde Manager Director at HEINEKEN said: “The Golden Apple Awards are a great way for us to highlight and celebrate the very high standards reached by the apple farmers we work with. Events like this mean we can thank our farmers for continuing to drive those standards forward in terms of exceptional quality, sustainability and environmental leadership. Congratulations once again to the Skittery family, this award demonstrates their absolute commitment to quality and is well deserved.”
May 12, 2017
Staff from Thatchers Cider have been planting 25,000 new apple trees this spring, in response to the growing demand for the Somerset cidermaker’s products.
This Spring, Thatchers has been planting two of its favourite apple varieties, Dabinett, a vintage bittersweet apple that provides richness and body to its ciders; and Jonagold, a crisp eating apple that provides a beautiful sweet juice. The Jonagold is an important ingredient in its cider Thatchers Haze, being the apple that provides the natural cloudiness in the cider.
Cider lovers throughout the UK are increasingly turning to regionally produced ciders from family cidermakers such as Thatchers for their quality and provenance. Thanks to this, many of the national supermarkets are now stocking a much wider range of Thatchers ciders, including Thatchers Gold, Haze and its two new ciders, Barrel Roller and Leaf Twister.
Martin Thatcher, fourth generation cidermaker says, “There’s a real recognition by the national supermarkets that shoppers are wanting to purchase cider brands that offer authenticity. We’ve been making cider at Myrtle Farm for four generations – you can have no more genuine heritage than that. The ciders that we produce are done so with a passion for a consistently high quality and great taste, and as a result they’re in rising demand up and down the country.”
Staff from throughout Thatchers always help with the tree planting, one of the most important times of the cidermaking year.
“This year we’re planting 25,000 new trees on new land and within some existing orchards,” explains Martin. “It’s always an exciting time of year when many of our Myrtle Farm-based staff help out in the orchards. This spring we’ve been aided by the mild and dry weather.
“We’ve been planting two of our favourite apple varieties this year. Dabinett which we use in a number of our ciders is a classic cider apple that brings richness and body. The second is Jonagold, which is a sweet dessert apple that our cidermakers love for its crispness.”
Martin, who planted his first apple tree at the age of 5 at Myrtle Farm, always joins the orchard team during planting. His children, Eleanor and Peter, are also keen to play their part during school holidays and weekends.
As well as cultivating apples in its own orchards, Thatchers has a number of long term contracts with specialist growers throughout the apple growing regions of the South West and Herefordshire.
“We have an extended family of specialist growers who provide us with great quality apples and have done so for many years,” continues Martin. “They all make a valuable contribution to our cidermaking process, helping us deliver sufficient quantities of apples into our mill at harvest time to meet the demand for our ciders all year round.
“Apples are very much like vines, in that different varieties of apples suit different soil types. For that reason we have growers in different regions who can provide us with the specific apple varieties our cidermakers need for our different ciders.
“Over half of all the apples grown in this country are used to make cider,” concludes Martin. “The contribution that the cider industry makes to the rural economy through its orchards is significant. But with apple trees taking six or seven years to start cropping fully, and orchards lasting around 40 years, planting orchards now is a long term commitment for the future and a responsibility that we here at Thatchers we take seriously.”
May 2, 2017
Westons is adding a new berry-flavoured variant to its hugely successful Mortimer’s Orchard super-premium cider brand as it adds further breadth to the top end of the cider market.
Mortimer’s Orchard – English Berry Cider is a sparkling, clear, berry-coloured cider made from a unique blend of bittersweet, sharp and sweet apples, which is matured in Westons traditional oak vats before being blended with berry fruits to deliver an exceptionally flavoursome and refreshing cider. The 4% abv cider is exclusively available on draught to the premium on-trade from May onwards. As part of an extensive launch programme Westons is working with Mitchells and Butlers to showcase the new cider in a number of its premium outlets over the summer months.
Tessa Holden, Mortimer’s Orchard brand manager, says: “We are really excited to be launching Mortimer’s Orchard – English Berry Cider in time for the summer. The launch follows our market insight and research which has identified that whilst draught fruit cider is growing spectacularly at 85% year-on-year*, there is a limited super-premium offering within draught fruit cider.
“Mortimer’s Orchard – English Berry Cider will help to establish a super-premium segment within draught fruit cider as well as further driving the growth of the Mortimer’s Orchard brand through a new product offering which will bring new consumers into the market.”
Mortimer’s Orchard was first launched in 2013 and is now listed in over 1,000 outlets and is growing at 30% year-on-year.
