- Westons Cider brings its super-premium cider brand to the off-trade as Mortimer’s Orchard English Apple and Mortimer’s Orchard English Berry launch exclusively in Sainsbury’s
- The launch follows Westons’ strongest ever start to a cider season and responds to double-digit growth in both fruit and crafted cider categories
Westons Cider is celebrating its strongest ever start to a cider season by launching its popular on-trade Mortimer’s Orchard brand into retail for the first time.
Hitting shelves exclusively in Sainsbury’s from mid-June, the introduction of the two-strong range comes as the Herefordshire cider maker reports a 13% increase in output for April and exhibits strong sales across its entire portfolio.
In fact, following a warm and sunny Easter Bank Holiday weekend, the cider-maker saw such a surge in demand that it has introduced additional shifts at its Herefordshire cider mill.
“Mortimer’s Orchard has established a proven track record in the on-trade where it’s garnered a loyal fan base and sales currently exceed one million pints every year,” explains Brand Manager, Holly Chadwick.
“Mortimer’s Orchard English Apple is currently one of the strongest-performing premium draught apple ciders on the market, up 22.8% in volume sales year-on-year, and this makes its launch into the off-trade a natural progression for the brand.”
Made with 100% fresh English apple juice, both Mortimer’s Orchard variants are expertly balanced, crafted cider offerings. They will launch in glass bottle 330ml four-packs.
The latest addition to the Westons Cider off-trade portfolio coincides with double-digit growth for both crafted ciders (+15.3% YOY) and fruit ciders (+13.6% YOY), while data reveals 78.6% of crafted cider sales now come from glass bottle formats, up 10% year-on-year.
“Mortimer’s Orchard sets the benchmark for super-premium, high-quality cider,” continues Chadwick.
“Introducing this brand to retail will enable shoppers to trade up in the cider aisle, while the smaller pack format will broaden appeal for non-traditional cider shoppers – particularly younger drinkers and women[1]. This will provide retailers with an opportunity to drive profits and rate of sale, plus benefit from incremental category sales.”
Mortimer’s Orchard English Apple and Mortimer’s Orchard English Berry will have a 5% ABV and 4% ABV respectively.
Run by the fourth generation of the Westons family, Westons Cider has been producing premium quality cider from its mill in Herefordshire since 1880. Westons Cider also produces brands Stowford Press, Henry Westons and Rosie’s Pig.
[1] Cambridge MR U&A Survey, August 2018. Female cider drinkers aged 18-34 are 23% more likely to pick up a 330ml bottle for consumption at home than the general population
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