As UK cidermakers anxiously watch the weather, West Country orchard owners are facing a double challenge of a bumper crop and falling number of buyers. A shift in consumer preferences towards fruit cider, combined with high yields from maturing orchards, has created a glut of cider apples, and Heineken, owner of Bulmers, the world’s biggest cider producer, is currently ‘reviewing’ its supply contracts with growers.
Growers could be forced to rip up their orchards as new flavours don’t need apples.