OUR APPLES

In 2016 we started by using apples from a 1 acre orchard on the farm and pressing the juice in our garage. Little did we know that our drinks would become so popular. In recent years we’ve converted more of the farm to growing apples, and as the whole farm is certified organic by the Soil Association, this certification includes the orchards. We built a production unit in one of the orchards, which we call ‘Apple HQ’. As demand has outstripped what we are currently able to supply, we’ve had to decide whether to buy certified organic apples, which would allow us to certify our drinks as organic or use our own judgement in sourcing apples produced without chemical or fertiliser use, but uncertified as organic. We choose the latter, which addresses the huge and growing problem of food waste by making use of surplus local apples that wouldn’t otherwise be harvested.

Harvesting additional apples from local places allows others to get involved (such as schools and community projects), as well as making use of many of the traditional and varied orchards in an area often referred to as ‘apple and cider’ country.

We collected unused apples from the National Trust during Covid and this has since blossomed into a fruitful annual relationship for which we are grateful, not least to the Trust’s Ranger team who organise the picking of the apples for us every year at Barrington Court, Montacute House and Tintinhull Garden. These beautiful heritage apples, which include many rare Somersetshire varieties, such as Hoary Mornings and Golden Knob, are all used in our blended apple juices and ciders.