Apr 6, 2018
Thatchers has introduced a new seasonal cider into its traditional premium range for 2018. Summer Vintage, a 7.4% cider available in 500ml bottles, has been inspired by a stroll through the cidermaker’s Somerset orchards, to create a light yet full flavoured cider for the summer months.
With a touch of sweetness from Thatchers’ choice of dessert apples, and added body and depth from bittersweet, this is a well-balanced, medium dry cider, with all important freshness for the warmer weather.
Martin Thatcher, fourth generation of the Sandford-based cidermaker says, “We first made this cider back in 2016 as a limited edition, and thanks to popular demand we’re now making it again for this year’s summer season. I love this cider – it’s easy to drink, naturally light in colour, with a delicate aroma, but at the same time has a rounded, full flavour, that comes from the mix of bittersweet and dessert apples that we press and blend here at Myrtle Farm.
“We hope that people will really enjoy this cider while – hopefully – enjoying the delights of the British summer.”
Thatchers Summer Vintage will sit alongside Thatchers Vintage and Thatchers Katy, and will be available online at www.thatcherscider.co.uk, in 279 Tesco stores nationwide from April 2018, and locally in the Thatchers Cider Shop in Sandford, Somerset.
Apr 3, 2018
Staff at Aston Manor Cider’s Tiverton site are celebrating achieving the top AA+ grade in the BRC Global Standard for alcoholic drinks and fermented/brewed products again, following an unannounced and rigorous audit.
The UK’s leading independent cidermaker is one of only a few alcohol manufacturers to secure this AA+ accreditation. Not only do Aston Manor boast top marks at the Tiverton facility, their site on Thimble Mill Lane in Birmingham has also earnt the same certification.
The BRC Global Standard audit is the most renowned certification program in the industry and examines all areas of Aston Manor’s operation. It has been developed to provide a framework for managing the quality and safety of food and drinks products. By displaying the highest-levels of manufacturing processes to packaging standards, the accreditation has demonstrated Aston Manor’s commitment to safety and their customers through the quality of their products.
Jamie Weall, head of compliance at Aston Manor Cider, said: “We’re delighted to achieve the top result again at our Tiverton facility. By achieving the best possible score at the unannounced audit really proves our entire team is dedicated to producing the best possible cider in the safest way. Our customers can have total confidence that everything that we produce at Aston Manor Cider is manufactured and packaged at the highest standard possible in the industry.”
“The real testament to our team is that they do not rest on their laurels. We have around 20 technical audits each year, with half of these being unannounced, and the hard work has already begun to maintain these high standards. We strive to keep achieving the top grades throughout these procedures whenever and wherever the auditors decided to drop by.”
Mar 23, 2018
We’re pleased to bring you another recipe from The Fuss Free Foodie – Old Rosie Chicken with French Peas.
Visit the recipe page to find out more and watch the video. Looks like a great choice for Sunday dinner with friends!
You can find out more about The Fuss Free Foodie on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Mar 19, 2018
Fourth generation cidermaker Thatchers will be driving awareness of its Katy Single Variety cider this spring with an outdoor and sampling campaign with retailers.
Thatchers Katy, a traditional premium cider, has been crafted at Myrtle Farm for over 21 years, enjoying national distribution. It is being featured in an extensive outdoor campaign, including six-sheet and digital screen panels nationally supporting listings in Tesco, Waitrose, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Booker.
This will be accompanied by couponing and in-store sampling, as well as consumer advertising in retailer publications.
James Kennedy, head of off-trade for Somerset cidermaker Thatchers says,
“We’re seeing a major move towards premiumisation in the cider category. Consumers are prepared to spend more to enjoy a high quality, premium cider like Thatchers Katy. The values of heritage and provenance are important to consumers and there’s no better heritage than four generations of cidermaking here at Myrtle Farm, and over 500 acres of our own Somerset orchard.
“The Katy apple is grown in our orchards here at Myrtle Farm and is a very special apple to us, characterised by its beautiful bright red skin. A dessert apple, it provides the perfect balance of acidity and sweetness for a single variety cider, and is the perfect apple for an expertly crafted, traditional premium cider, a key message of this campaign.
“Apple ciders dominate the traditional premium sector, which is showing strong sales growth (up 15.9% vs YA*).
“This campaign will achieve an estimated 55 million views, bringing Thatchers Katy to the front of mind with consumers over the Easter period.”
A softly sparkling Somerset Cider, Katy is pressed and bottled at Thatchers’ Myrtle Farm from the red, juicy Katy apple. The 7.4% single variety cider is medium dry, with its natural fruit acidity making it a great pairing for foods such as fish and white meats.
The new campaign follows the first solus campaign for Katy, which appeared in November and December 2017, in the run-up to the Christmas period, and now appears pre and post Easter, a key time of the year for cider purchase.
The campaign runs from 26th March to 6th May, and includes participation in the Tesco Cider Festival.
The Thatchers cider brands will be front of mind with the public once again this year. Thatchers’ 2018 activity started in February with its TV campaign for Thatchers Gold, continuing throughout Spring and Summer with a refreshed marketing campaign with What Cider’s Supposed to Taste Like, including digital, social media, consumer and trade press, PR, as well as a new experiential and sampling campaign being launched in April.
Thatchers Katy has an RRP £2.00 for 500ml NRB
www.thatcherscider.co.uk
Ends
*Source: IRI value MAT 06.01.2018
Mar 1, 2018
Westons Cider is adding to its Rosie’s Pig range of refreshing cloudy ciders with the launch of Rosie’s Pig Raspberry Roller Cloudy Cider, following the success of the existing flavoured range since its launch in 2016. The new Raspberry and Cucumber flavoured cider also taps into the huge growth of berry-flavoured ciders, which now account for 87% of all fruit ciders sold*.
The Raspberry and Cucumber flavoured Rosie’s Pig Raspberry Roller Cloudy Cider joins existing Rosie’s Pig cloudy cider range flavours: Flat Tyre Cloudy Cider with Rhubarb, Handbrake Cloudy Cider with Damson and Rusted Wheel Cloudy Cider with Cherry, as well as its original apple-flavoured Rosie’s Pig Cloudy Cider (on-trade only). While the flavoured ciders were originally launched as limited-edition products, the four-strong range is now being launched on a permanent basis, due to its all-year-round appeal.
Rosie’s Pig Raspberry Roller is a refreshing berry flavoured cider with citrus notes, creating a well-balanced, easy-drinking cider with a fresh finish. Like the rest of the range, the still, cloudy cider comes in both a 330ml can (on and off-trade) as well as a 10-litre, fridge-friendly, bag-in-box format (on-trade only) with an ABV of 4%.
Designed by Cheltenham-based design agency BOS (Brand on Shelf), Rosie’s Pig Raspberry Roller’s pump clip, like the rest of the range, features the iconic Rosie’s Pig, which was Westons Cider’s original delivery truck.
Tim Williams, Rosie’s Pig brand manager, says: “We are very excited to be bringing Rosie’s Pig Raspberry Roller Cloudy Cider with Raspberry and Cucumber to market. The fruit cider category is growing at +10% year-on-year and the category now accounts for 27% of all cider sold*. The Rosie’s Pig range flavours of Rhubarb, Damson, Cherry, and now Raspberry and Cucumber will help to add further growth to the fruit cider category, bringing in new drinkers across all age groups.”
Westons Cider unveiled a new corporate brand identity in October to reflect the significant changes the business has undergone over the past seven years and to support its ambitious plans to grow the business by +40% by 2023, to reach in excess of £85m.
The cider producer is run by the fourth generation of the Weston family, which has been producing premium quality cider from its mill in Herefordshire since 1880. Westons Cider makes a broad range of premium ciders, includinga leading portfolio of brands; Stowford Press, Wyld Wood, Henry Westons, Old Rosie, Rosie’s Pig, Caple Rd and Mortimer’s Orchard.
