Industry figures show that sales of top tier premium cider in the ‘take home’ sector reached £75m in June this year, an increase of £10m compared to the same time in 2013.
Chair of the NACM, Paul Bartlett, said the figures show a growing thirst for high quality, artisan cider made by British producers large and small.
“For a number of years,” he said, “cider has been the star performer and what’s clear is that people are seeking out excellent drinks, both good quality mainstream ciders and really premium products often enjoyed with food.
“It’s quite an achievement for the sector when you consider that we have just come through a period of economic difficulty. It proves that, even when times are tough, cider drinkers are prepared to pay more for a high-quality product that they really enjoy.
“It’s testament to people focusing on quality and provenance matched by the innovation and investment of cider makers.”
On average, the price of premium and artisan ciders has increased by 5% in the last 12 months, way ahead of the rate of inflation.
Even take-home sales of premium cider have soared to £400m in the last year, an increase of £43m compared to the year before.
Award-winning drinks writer Pete Brown commented on the trend. He said: “There is massive scope for cider as a premium product. As we seek to drink less but better quality drinks, cider offers the best of all worlds: the tannic layers of red wine, the crisp acidity and sweetness of white wine, the refreshment of lager, the mellowness of ale.
“And because of the small scale of genuinely artisanal producers, there’s a pleasure of discovery involved in choosing premium cider, which consumers are switching on to.”
Figures from the UK’s biggest retailer Tesco – which won Cider Retailer of the Year at the Drinks Retailing Awards this year – show how the premium cider category has grown over the last three years.
Tesco has grown the number of lines of cider it stocks by 60% since 2001 and has tripled the number of premium products it has on its shelves in order to meet demand.
Olivia Christou, cider buyer at Tesco, said: “It’s a very exciting time for the cider category as a whole. There are increasing numbers of ciders available and there’s continued growth in the number of people drinking cider. The real growth for us over the last couple of years has been seen in the fruit cider section of the category, especially the more premium fruit ciders.
“The popularity of ‘craft’ products hasn’t been limited to the beer category either. We are seeing more interest from customers in the heritage of the brands they’re buying and the care and expertise that’s put into the production of the cider.
“Craft cider has its own destination in the cider fixture, further highlighting the rising popularity and growth of this style of cider.”
Sales of top tier premium cider now make up 7% of the cider take-home market.
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