Welsh cider producer, Gwynt y Ddraig, are quenching even more thirsts following the brand’s launch into public house chain, JD Wetherspoon.
Gwynt y Ddraig - or Dragon’s Breath - is Wales’ biggest cider producer and over the past year has seen a 196% increase in sales.
“The past year has been exceptional with regard to our sales of ciders and it just goes to show that there is a demand for quality Welsh ciders rather than a mass-marketed product,” said Bill George, Gwynt y Ddraig Operations Director.
The next couple of months will be a particularly busy period for the company which sources its fruit from predominantly Welsh orchards.
“Come the autumn, our pickers will be collecting the fruit from the orchards and then it’s our busiest time of the year as it all has to be pressed.”
Said Richard Bond, JD Wetherspoon Area Manager, “We are very pleased to support another quality local product, which further enhances our range of Welsh products available in JD Wetherspoon Public Houses and Lloyds No.1 Bars throughout Wales.”
Formed by Bill George and his nephew Andrew Gronow, Gwynt y Ddraig began producing cider at Llest Farm in Llantwit Fardre near Pontypridd in the autumn of 2001.
From those first few hundred gallons, production has increased year on year and the company now produces over 350,000 litres of cider made mainly from fruit grown in Monmouthshire as well as some from Herefordshire and Somerset.
The company produces 15 different ciders and perries (fermented pear juice) and some 600 tonnes of apples and pears are used to make the draft and bottled range.
Suitable for vegetarians and vegans, they are all fermented naturally with no added sugar or artificial sweeteners.
The cider press was purchased with the help of a Welsh Assembly Government Processing and Marketing Grant, and the apples are milled and pressed on the farm with the apple juice left to ferment and mature in oak casks. Assistance was also given with the corporate design and literature.
There is no waste generated from the cider and perry production as all bi-products are fed to the farm’s beef herds of Hereford and Belgian Blues.
In a relatively short space of time the company has succeeded in winning numerous awards from both the Welsh Perry and Cider Society and the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) - where in 2004 their traditional farmhouse cider won the company a Gold medal, the first Welsh cider producer to receive the award.
Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones said: “Gwynt y Ddraig’s new contract is great news and has once again demonstrated the increasing market demand for Welsh food and drink products. “
MORE DETAILS: Sheila Coleman 01792 817532 / 07968 357474
Email: sheila@colemanroberts.co.uk
Gwyn y Ddraig Cider
Llest Farm
Llantwit Fardre
Pontypridd
Rhondda Cynon Taf
CF38 2PW
Contact: Bill George
Tel: 0779 1066240
Email: bill.george@gwyntcider.com
Website: www.gwyntcider.com
