Westons Cider
Some of the employees at Westons Cider have been with the company so long they remember the old way of making cheeses to press out the juice from apples and pears gathered from local orchards.
Despite modernisation and expansion, the traditional character of the family-owned business continues and unquestionably contributes to its current success.
Henry Weston started the company in 1880. He used fruit from his Herefordshire orchard to make cider for his family and supplement his farm-workers wages. With encouragement from the local MP, Henry established a cider making business in Much Marcle to increase his farming income.
Today some of the old fruit trees are still visible, but new bush orchards have been planted and Westons Cider is stocked in all the major UK supermarkets and exported across the world.
Great granddaughter Helen Thomas is in charge of daily business management: “We want to build on what has been handed down to us and take the business forward for at least the next hundred years,” she said. “What we are trying to do is utilise the assets that we've got here, rather than letting them decay.”
The old farm buildings have been converted into offices and a cider shop, and plans for a museum are underway.
David Kerr, part of the Westons team explained the belief behind their traditional values: “We are a family business and people have a lot of empathy with this. There is a liking for traditional things. They don't want the bland products of the huge companies.
“Organic cider is one of our latest products and has been extremely successful. We have signed up over 50 different farmers over the last two years to supply us with organic fruit under three schemes.”
As farming incomes change Westons notice the difference in farming practices.
David continued: “The problem with farming these days is that there's a generation going out that used to religiously pick up all the apples from the orchards – but their youngsters would rather let the cattle go in, or push out the trees because it's not really worth it. But two years ago when farmers were feeling the pinch, we did notice that nearly every apple around was brought in.”
All the cider at Westons is still made in oak vats, although some steel and glassfibre vats are used for storage.
“All the vats are named and range from 1,200 to 42,000 gallons,” David said. “Our oldest are called Pip, Squeak, Wilfred and King George. In 1924 they were brought up from Bristol Docks where they'd been used for storing sherry. We discovered later that they'd been there for 150 years, so they're at least 225 years old. Squeak will hold over 42,000 gallons.
“The last wooden vat to be built on site was in 1972. There was a funny shaped gap and they decided to make an oval vat – which wasn't very practical and probably more expensive. Because of its shape they called it Wembley and just by coincidence next door to it is a vat called Hereford United. Locals joke that's about as near to Wembley as Hereford United will ever get.”
Many of the employees live in the surrounding villages and often work for the company from leaving school to retirement.
Ron Lancett has worked for Westons for more than thirty years. One of his jobs is blending the sugar for bottling and kegging. “It's changed a bit from what it used to be,” he said. “It was a lot harder work in those days. My father worked here too. I was on the press floor, there were about 15 of us – only one does it now.
“I used to build the cheeses. It was very wet and cold, particularly when the cider was dripping down on you. It was always October to Christmas when we were doing that job.”
Doreen Pocknell has been with the company 37 years. “When I first came nothing was mechanised - my first job was sighting the bottles before they went to be filled,” she said. “I remember helping to push the pomace down in to make the cheeses. It was a cold job. The men were down below and they did get wet. It was all done by hand – now it's all modern.”
David Kerr concluded: “If we closed down it would be devastating to the community. Whole families work here and their parents before them.
“We have installed a new bottling system and a pasteurisation unit. We have planted 70 acres of apples over the past few years and intend to plant another 100 acres. We will also be planting a perry orchard which will take at least ten years to mature.
“We don't rest on our laurels. We have a traditional base but we're still investing in the future.”