Cider is the perfect accompaniment to a hot day. It’s the pipe to the slipper, parmesan to a spaghetti Bolognese; the ultimate combination. Because of the warmer weather that the UK has experienced this year, annual cider sales have topped £1 billion for the first time since 2014.
The impact that the weather has on the sales of cider was shown by its performance from May to July. In this period, the temperatures were some of the highest in the UK for years and this saw cider sales rise 16 per cent on the figures from 2016.
We’re now well into autumn and winter, so you are better served stocking up on ales, mulled wine and spirits. It’s perhaps not to best time to start pushing fruity ciders, but it is definitely something to plan for when spring has sprung. Having an idea of the popular ciders, promotions and events you could do can put you ahead of the competition.
Cider brands reporting the largest growth include; Thatchers (up 44 per cent), Kopparberg (21 per cent) and Rekorderlig (17 per cent).
Cider events for pubs
With more people seeming to turn to cider when at the bar, here are some ways to get cider lovers and novices through your doors.
• Cider festival. An annual cider festival can be a great way of drawing the punters in. It goes without saying that you should have a selection of ciders for visitors to choose from, but other draws could be a barbeque and live music.
• Stock up on local ciders. Get in touch with some local cider farms and inquire about the possibility of stocking them in your pub. Once you’ve got some local cider cans and bottles in your fridges, make sure you tell your customers about them and up-sell to those who ask for a more commercial cider.
• Cider tasting evening. For the more connoisseur cider drinkers, you could arrange for a cider expert to come into your pub to host a cider tasting event full of the best new ciders.
Stain-proof pub furniture
Spillage of a bottle of cider can spell disaster for many items of pub furniture. Many popular ciders are based on fruits other than apples meaning spillage of these drinks can be worse than traditional draught ciders.
Fortunately, manufacturers of pub and bar furniture are always innovating to keep pace with changing trends. You can find many items within our pub furniture range that are better able to resist a bright stain when a splash of cider comes their way.