British cider makers unveil consumer initiative
THE UK cider industry is coming together to back a consumer campaign called Find Your Cider that launches tomorrow (25 September) as the apple harvest gets under way across British orchards.
Supported by the National Association of Cider Makers (NACM), the marketing initiative encourages cider drinkers, including those who have it only occasionally, to explore the breadth of the category and discover new styles to add to their favourites.
UK cider makers are coming together to post shared messaging across three key dates this autumn – 25 September, National Apple Day on 21 October and 13 November. Each date has its own focus, from the breadth of styles now available in the category, the apples that go into cider to the orchard teams and cider makers behind every bottle and can.
The industry recognises that retailers play a central role in bringing that range to shoppers. The off-trade accounts for 62% of all cider volume sold in the UK, and cider makers continue to invest in new formats and styles to give shoppers more reasons to explore the fixture.
Cans are now the fastest-growing pack format, the crafted cider segment grew 7.6% last year to reach £284million, and low/no-alcohol cider was the standout performer in the off-trade, up 37.3% in value year on year, according to Westons Cider Report data.
More than 95% of the cider consumed in Britain is made here, making the UK the world’s largest cider market, worth £3.17billion annually, the Westons report says.
Around 450 cider makers produce that cider, ranging from small family businesses to global exporters, and together support 65,000 jobs and £1.4billion in wages across the UK, according to analysis by Oxford Economics. Harvest is the busiest and most important time of the cider calendar. Cider makers work with more than 300 farmers across 14,500 acres of orchards grown specifically for cider.
The NACM says the category is in an exciting period of innovation on the shelf, with growing interest in lower and no alcohol styles, cans and new flavours giving shoppers more ways than ever to find a cider that suits them. Find Your Cider is designed to shine a light on that variety and encourage shoppers to explore it for themselves this autumn.
Martin Thatcher, NACM chairman, said: “Cider is such a wide and varied category. It’s the skill of the cider maker that turns a humble apple into such a broad range of tastes and styles. Find Your Cider is about encouraging people to try something different this autumn and discover ciders that suit far more drinking occasions than they might expect.”
