A West Bradley manufacturer of traditional, locally sourced apple juice and cider has increased production tenfold after investing over £70,000 in an apple press and bottling line.

Just a year after being established, Orchard Pig has up-scaled the number of units it produces to 160,000 bottles per harvest as it enters the premium end of a growing cider market now worth almost half a billion pounds annually.

The new machinery gives the firm the flexibility required to develop different varieties of drinks in a range of quantities, including custom production runs.

The semi-automatic bottling line will also enable the business to produce bag-in-box containers of apple juice and cider and take on contract work for other small drinks producers or private individuals.

The press and line were both funded by asset based lending (ABL) facilities provided by Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance, and will enable the business to capitalise on growing demand for apple-based alcoholic and healthy non-alcoholic drinks.

Lloyds TSB’s Commercial is also providing banking support for the business.

Orchard Pig started as a project by two friends who found themselves with apples left over from their orchards that their Gloucester Old Spot pigs hadn’t managed to eat.

After a surprisingly successful first attempt at cider making, they approached Andrew Heck of Street-based Heck’s Farmhouse Cider for expert advice to hone their skills and, after several years of practice, decided to go professional.

The company now employs six people to manufacture products using its own crops and apples from small to medium sized orchards in the region.

Orchard Pig’s drinks are sold through farm shops, delicatessens, cafes, and the restaurant, hotels, and bed and breakfast trade. It recently secured a contract with national distributor to the specialist food sector, The Bay Tree Food Company, which supplies luxury retailers such as Harrods and Selfridges.

Its products are also available online at www.orchardpig.co.uk.

Mike Greaves, area director Commercial Finance, said: “Somerset is the renowned home of apple juice and cider and Orchard Pig’s ambitious management team has developed a range of fantastic premium products to reinforce this reputation.

“Many small businesses struggle to raise the capital required to fulfil their potential but, using our tailored ABL facilities, the Orchard Pig team is able to work towards its goal of taking its traditional Somerset cider and apple juice to the wider market.

“Sales of cider alone have increased by 29 per cent in the last year and, with this new machinery, Orchard Pig now has the capacity to capitalise on the booming market for its high quality, beverages, made from local crops.”

Andrew Quinlan, a Director of Orchard Pig, said: “Somerset has a fantastic range of orchards with incredibly diverse and wholesome varieties of apples which make flavoursome and distinctive traditional juices and ciders.

“This project started out as a hobby but we were so passionate about the quality of our produce means we want to take our goods to the growing market for apple-based drinks.

“To do this, we needed to purchase in additional equipment and the funding from Commercial Finance presented an ideal finance package which enabled us to secure the investment against the value of the machinery.”

For more information, please contact Andrew Quinlan on 01458 851222.

March 2008