Independent cider producer Aston Manor Cider is investing in a new multi-million pound fruit processing facility at Stourport-on-Severn, and has already started to accept apples to be milled and pressed – ahead of the original target date for the 2014 harvest.
Growth and development of Aston Manor
Having announced in April that 1,000 acres of new orchards would be planted to support the growth and development of Aston Manor Cider, the new capacity and capability at the Stourport site is a vital element of the long-term plan of the business.
Gordon Johncox, managing director at Aston Manor said: “Our planting scheme is vital to our progress as is this purpose-built operation commissioned ahead of schedule and already pressing apples.
“Whilst it will be a number of years before the new orchards yield a crop at the level we expect, we are adding some 350,000 trees to the landscape and we need to have the quality of infrastructure to cope with up to 30,000 tonnes of fruit each season in just a few years from now.
£50 million will be spent on apples from the planting scheme
“In its own right, Stourport represents a significant investment; however, it needs to be considered in light of the commitment we are making to our growers – on a conservative estimate, we will spend over £50m in the next 25 years on just the apples grown from the planting scheme.
“There will be more besides from our existing orchards and all of that will be pressed here to be used in the fabulous ciders we make.”
The new cider press will handle around 800 tonnes of fruit a day, six days a week throughout the harvest period. There is scope to extend the capacity of the new facility.
Largest independent cider maker in the UK
Gordon Johncox added: “In our thirtieth year this is further evidence of our focus on the category.
“Already the largest independent cider maker in the UK, this both signals and supports our intention to work with growers to source the best fruit to be able to make top quality cider.”
The investment is just part of the work to build on the success of Aston Manor Cider – a business with sales in excess of £110m per annum and outperforming other cider makers.
Potential in the cider market
Johncox explained: “We are committing the necessary resources to build the capability and capacity of Aston Manor and believe we are very well placed to exploit the potential in the cider market at home and abroad.
“For example, we have invested £10m in three years at our Tiverton site and have doubled employment having dramatically increased production. Another £5m of capital investment this year will enhance our operations and efficiency further.
“We are also committed to building our brands – a number of brands will be updated and refreshed as has already happened with Kingstone Press.
“We are confident that Kingstone Press can become a major cider brand, hence in support of the brand we are investing our largest marketing budget to date with a number of tie-ups with Rugby League, including the Rugby League World Cup.”
Aston Manor Cider
From Orchard to Glass, Aston Manor Cider is the UK’s largest independent cider maker. The company is 100% family owned with an ethos to deliver only the finest products.
Aston Manor has over 300 acres of orchards in Malvern from which they create a wide range of cider brands. The business is the only cider maker covering every occasion and every consumer with a portfolio of products spanning the breadth of the entire cider category, and ranging from mainstream to award-winning ciders such as Malvern Oak and Malvern Gold and through to organic cider produced for Duchy Originals.
Established in 1983, Aston Manor is celebrating its 30th birthday in 2013.