Three years of disruption for manufacturing culminated with unprecedented supply chain inflation in 2022, according to cider maker Aston Manor.
The drinks firm said its turnover rose year on year by £3 million to £142 million in 2022 but its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation were slightly down from £5.7 million to £5.4 million.
The company manufactures and distributes well known cider brands such as Frosty Jack's, Crumpton Oaks and Malvern Cider as well as private label drinks and does contract packaging for other breweries.
Its head office and national distribution centre is in Witton, Birmingham, and it also operates a production site in the nearby Aston district. It has a mill in Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire, where fruit is pressed and another large production site in Tiverton, Devon.
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Aston Manor said there had been considerable price increases in materials, logistics and other costs which had prompted an almost immediate adverse impact on manufacturers.
"While the business moved to mitigate this challenge with some success, overall financial performance was impaired," it added in a statement.
Chief executive Gordon Johncox said: "During 2022 and since, we have continued to develop our contract packing operation and our ability to produce non-alcoholic drinks for customers.
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"We remain committed to making investments in our production capability and capacity to support our ambition to participate in profitable sectors, exiting low-margin business, alongside providing exceptional product quality and great service.
"We achieve this by the expert allocation of resources to uphold our track record of outstanding continuity of supply to both our customers and their consumers.
"Clearly, we hope for less disruptive trading conditions now and into the future, though we continue to pay close attention to inflationary pressures on input costs and the impact of higher interest rates."
The company was named both green business and overall company of the year at the 2019 Birmingham Post Business Awards.
Among its environmental initiatives have been the installation of nitrogen generators at its sites in Birmingham and Devon which it said reduced the volume of CO2 required by the business.
It is also now working with a supplier that generates CO2 for carbonating drinks from apple residue which is a by-product of pressing apples.
The company was founded in the 1980s by the legendary late former Aston Villa chairman Sir Doug Ellis. In 2018, it was acquired by French agricultural co-operative Agrial, a few months before Sir Doug died.