There was a time when cider was seen as a somewhat tawdry
beverage, mainly the choice of underage drinkers and old men in grubby attire. These days, as a result of clever re-branding, the drink is rather trendy.
The shift began, by all accounts, with a Magners campaign some years ago that introduced the concept of drinking cider with ice – a novel idea that instantly made the drink more marketable to young consumers. And the trend has progressed so much since then that even Stella Artois launched its first apple cider in 2011 and spin-off pear cider earlier this year. The brand famously nicknamed “wife beater” is now a favourite among style-conscious hipsters and the likes. Not surprising, perhaps, given that the advertising agency tasked with transforming its image is Shoreditch-based Mother.
Their campaign is designed to highlight the difference between the sophisticated world of Stella’s Belgian ‘cidre’ and plain old British cider. Effectively, Stella has created a perceived gap in the market, and managed to fill it too. “We knew that the premium nature, quality, craft and heritage of the Stella Artois brand were attributes that were transferable across categories and could add value to the premium cider category. We wanted to provide consumers with a new product for a different occasion, as well as introduce non-beer drinkers into the Stella Artois brand,” says Andy Logan, marketing manager at Stella Artois.
Given the rise in pear cider sales – 17 per cent in 2011, according to Nielsen – it would certainly seem the mission has been successful.
“As a result of clever marketing, the concept of drinking cider with ice has revolutionised how it is drunk,” comments Adrian Barlow, CEO of English Apples and Pears. “In the past it was more of a downmarket pub drink. Now it is available in smart bars and restaurants.”
Predictably, the drink’s newfound popularity has many apple growers wanting to jump on the bandwagon. However, cider production is very much a niche industry and although some lower-quality eating apples not suitable for fresh consumption goes into it, it is mainly specialist apple varieties that are used to make cider.
Two of these, Dabinett and Harry Masters, are grown by Ali Capper, partner at Stocks Farm in Suckley, on the border of Herefordshire and Worcestershire. Grown on contract for Bulmers and Magners, the farm produces about 1,200 tonnes per year, delivered directly to the processing plants for pressing.
Capper says the repositioning of cider has attracted younger growers into the industry. “The Magners campaign completely repositioned the product, and stabilised what was a declining demand for cider apples. The market has grown in tandem with the cool factor, and this has led to an increase in cider makers and younger people getting into the industry.”
So what are the pros and cons of supplying the alcohol market? Capper thinks it’s good news that cider apple growers enjoy long-term contracts – between 20 to 30 years – as opposed to the much shorter supermarkets deals. However, supplying the cider business isn’t necessarily more profitable. “There is a high investment initially and some cider makers – though they are in a minority – will help with that investment,” reveals Capper. “In terms of long-term sustainability of cider apple growing, the profitability has a bit of a question mark over it though. Our costs are going up as many of the expenses are linked to oil.”
The costs she is referring to are far from insignificant and, doing the maths, it doesn’t quite add up. The value of the fruit per tonne is worth 20-25 per cent of the value of eating apples. There are reasons for that – cider apples are harvested mechanically, whereas eating apples are hand picked. The returns make it more marginal than dessert apples, according to Capper.
“Most cider makers are awarding an increase of £1 per tonne but our costs are rising at a higher rate,” she says.
So how come apple growers are still supplying the cider trade? “Once an orchard is in place, a grower tends to stick with it because of the initial investment, but would we plant a new cider apple orchard today? I doubt it.”
Not everyone is as pessimistic though. Fourayes, the biggest fruit-processing manufacturer in the UK, is keen to find new ways to use its Bramley apples and has identified beer and cocktails as lines they would like to pursue. Last year the company experimented with apple beer and took some samples to the FIE show in Paris. “Judging by the number of bottles that left our stand we can see there is a market and we are to looking to team up with a British brewery to go into production,” says managing director Phil Acock.
Based on European trends, he thinks the product would sell well in the UK too. “I recently visited Brugge, where there is a full range of fruit beers on the market. There is no reason apple beer could not be as popular here as it is in the rest of Europe.”
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