13,000 apple trees are being planted in Somerset as Thatchers Cider plants a brand-new 50-acre orchard – roughly the size of 31 football pitches.
The orchard marks the beginning of a new generation at Thatchers, as the family business celebrates record demand, and they look ahead to their fifth generation of cider makers, as Eleanor Thatcher earns her place on the board.
The planting follows three years of regenerative farming to prepare the land for the new trees, ensuring top quality soil for the tastiest apples. Two apple varieties, Red Windsor and Katy, were carefully selected, offering a sweet and refreshing taste, as well as being well-suited to the Somerset climate.
The apples will be used in a variety of ciders, including the single variety Thatchers Katy as well as Thatchers Juicy Apple and Thatchers Rosé, producing thousands of pints a year when the orchard is fully grown.
Martin Thatcher said: “Great cider begins in the orchard, so making sure the soil is in peak condition is vitally important. It can be up to eight years from taking on the land, to harvesting our first full crop, and then we want it to be a fruitful orchard for decades to come, producing top quality apples that we can craft into delicious ciders.”
The new orchard will also capture around 325 tonnes of CO2 a year, in addition to the thousands of tonnes already sequestered into the soil by Thatchers’ existing 500 acres of orchards at Myrtle Farm.
Martin Thatcher, fourth-generation cider maker, commented: “We’ve been working in partnership with nature for 120 years, and it is a harmonious balance we strive to protect. Every one of our ciders is made using 100% renewable electricity, including power from the 3,500 solar panels on the farm.”
“Nothing is wasted— even the apple pomace leftover from pressing is used for green energy or to feed local cattle, and we’ve installed cutting-edge technology to capture CO2 produced during fermentation and reuse it as bubbles in our cider.”
Martin continued: “Our orchards are not only places of cider production, but havens for biodiversity; from the bees that pollinate the trees to the worms that enrich the soil.”
Employees from across the business joined the farming team and the Thatcher family to plant the trees. The family were also joined by special friends from Bath Rugby and Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, as well as Great British Bake-Off contestant Briony May Williams, and actor Joe Sims.
As the largest independently owned British cider producer and maker of the most popular pint in the South West, Thatchers remains committed to both sustainability and community.
In addition to nurturing their own orchards, they support communities by donating hundreds of apple trees to groups across the country every year. Over the past five years, Thatchers has given away over 1,500 trees to groups and organisations such as charities and care homes to help create spaces where people can come together and connect with nature.
“We believe orchards can be very special places,” added Martin Thatcher. “That’s why every year we celebrate the great outdoors by giving away trees to groups across the country. These orchards offer a place for people to come together, to learn, to share, to reflect on the world around them – and maybe even make a pint or two of cider!”
Thatchers take great pride in upholding the traditions of British cider making—a craft that plays a vital role in the UK’s agricultural landscape and contributes £3.6 billion to the economy. Cider remains a key supporter of the UK hospitality industry, adding £2 billion in value to British pubs, with 1.2 billion pints enjoyed every year.
