Cider made with green energy predicted to grow the category

As consumers look more eco-conscious drinks, Thatchers has made a cider that answers the trend and “has the potential to grow the category”.

The Somerset-based cider house’s launch of its 4% ABV cider, named Juicy Apple, has been “made using 100% renewable electricity”.

According to Martin Thatcher, fourth-generation cider maker, Juicy Apple which will be available in British pubs and bars, “has the potential to grow the category with an appeal for the younger 25+ audience that crave excitement and relevance from their drinks”.

Speaking to the drinks business, Thatcher said: “We’re constantly working to reduce our impact on the environment and have ambitions to be net zero by 2030. So far we’ve implemented a number of sustainability measures including installing 3,500 solar panels at the farm and innovative technology to capture CO2 produced in the fermentation process and use it to add lovely bubbles to the cider.”

Thatcher revealed that the cider began life in the “Cider Barn range” and described it as “light” and “crisp” as well as “ideal for those discovering apple cider for the first time”.

Describing the cider company’s plight to help the business work more symbiotically with nature, Thatcher revealed that the cidery’s work towards its eco-goals had, however, gone far beyond solar panels and CO2 capture.

He told db: “We have also constructed a nature tower this year to encourage wildlife and biodiversity and set it in an acre of wildlife haven.”

Thatcher added that all of this is in addition to “the 15k trees planted over the last decade, recycling the left-over apple into green energy, using lighter cans in turn saving enough aluminium to make 5.9 million cans a year and removing plastic from packaging and replacing it with sustainably sourced card instead to name but a few.”

St Austell Brewery recently revealed it had signed a new 10-year deal with Thatchers Cider which will see the Cornish brewer’s pubs stocking Thatchers’ brands As part of the new agreement, Thatchers brands would also expand their reach and become widely available to St Austell Brewery’s 3,000+ free trade customers via its wholesale business.

Last summer, Thatchers reported a £30 million leap in annual turnover. The family-run business, which operates from its Myrtle Farm base in Somerset, reported a turnover of £155.5 million for the year ending 31 August 2022, up significantly from £126.2 million the year before. Its pre-tax profits also climbed to £16.8m from £14.2m on the previous year.