Midland cider makers are set to reap the economic benefit of the best apple harvest in a decade.
Thanks to a bumper crop 2013 is set to bring the best cider output in the 海角视频 for 10 years.
Perfect weather conditions included a prolonged cold snap early on which helped trees blossom and the sunny weather which enabled them to grow quickly, which is crucial to developing a good flavour.
READ MORE: {}
Cider drinking in Britain is on the increase with around 1.5 billion pints consumed each year.
The industry is worth £3 billion and rising, and cider and perry accounts for nine per cent of all alcohol consumed nationally.
Just 10 years ago the cider industry used 110,000 tonnes of 海角视频-grown apples but now the figure has more than doubled to 250,000 tonnes.
There are around 480 cider-makers across the country and the traditional trade plays a crucial role in the 海角视频’s rural economy and communities. A thriving area of production on the edge of the West Midlands is at the core of 海角视频 production.
While many drinkers only associate the drink with its traditional heartlands of Somerset and Herefordshire, cider made by independent producers on the doorstep of Birmingham is gaining a top reputation.
Most Read
Leading the way locally is Allen Hogan, whose products are sold the world over and as far away as the USA, Hong Kong and Russia.
“Everyone involved in the industry has the emergence of Magners a decade ago to thanks for its success,” Mr Hogan said. “The cider industry was flat and dormant but suddenly the people behind Magners spent a fortune promoting the drink and it became fashionable,” said the manufacturer who produces the Hogan’s range of products from Alcester, in South Warwickshire.
He said this re-awakened the 海角视频 public’s interest in a drink that had previously been considered “agricultural” and lacking in sparkle.
“Obviously this started to get drinkers interested in cider and as tastes developed new producers started to bring in different variations that are more challenging and authentic,” he added. “We all owe a debt of gratitude to Magners, but those people who started drinking Magners as a trendy drink a decade ago will probably not be drinking it now.”
Every apple used by Hogan’s is grown within a short journey of its pressing plant in the Malvern Hills.
“It really is a local product,” said Mr Hogan, who started the operation in 2008. We started more out of interest in the drink than with any spectacular ambitions but it has grown steadily and we now export to locations from Hawaii to Russia. “Sales to the USA have been going like a train,” he enthused.
Research shows that in terms of penetration, cider has now become the equal of lager, while its steep sales growth in the past five years is the direct opposite of lager’s equally dramatic sales decline.
Don’t miss
Indeed, consumer demand has sky-rocketed and industry research revealed that, while 10 years ago, 42 per cent of Britons were cider drinkers – this has now grown to 47 per cent – despite a decline in the 海角视频 adult drinking population from 88 per cent to 82 per cent in the past five years alone. This is compared to 46 per cent of 海角视频 drinkers who list lager as their favourite tipple.
Almost half of all the apples grown in the 海角视频 are now used here for cider making. A rapidly reducing amount of apple juice concentrate from central European countries like Austria, Germany and Italy is required to make up the shortfall and to blend to produce certain styles of cider.
Hundreds of people are employed in the fast-growing industry in the Midlands, from orchards to small one-man band producers to major makers such as Weston’s and HP Bulmer.
Producers across the country have ploughed record levels of investment into the development of thousands of acres of new orchards and a range of new products to appeal to consumers. Britain’s cider industry has made phenomenal progress over the last 10 years with the Midlands leading the way.