Ahead of the business’s 40th anniversary this summer, the team at Dunkertons Cider Company is celebrating a new listing across supermarket chain Sainsbury’s.
From April, Dunkertons will also be stocked in the popular Mercato Metropolitano Food Court, in Elephant and Castle, London, to drive further awareness and sales in the Capital.
These new listings coincide with the company boasting double-digit year-on-year growth in sales, despite the UK cider market seeing an overall decline in 2019.
After unveiling its first canned format and lower-ABV 5% organic Craft cider last summer, Dunkertons now has its sights set on expanding awareness and sales across London and the rest of the UK.
Dunkertons was founded in Herefordshire in 1980 by Susie and Ivor Dunkerton, who had a mission to work in harmony with the environment. The company was certified organic by the Soil Association as a grower and a producer soon after, and was the first cider producer in the UK to be awarded the double certification.
In 2017, the production side of the business was moved to Gloucestershire, to allow for expansion. The pressing, fermenting, and bottling of the fruit juice, harvested from the orchards in Herefordshire, now takes place in a state-of-the-art cidery on the outskirts of Cheltenham, at Dowdeswell Park.
To date, the double-digit sales growth for Dunkertons can mainly be attributed to its popularity within the three counties of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
Jeremy Benson, co-owner of the business, said: “A lot has happened over the course of our 40-year history, and it’s testament to our team’s hard work and dedication to produce organic cider of the highest quality that our sales are up by such an impressive amount.
“The unveiling of our new cider, Craft, was another milestone in our cider-making history, and will help us to become much more accessible to a wider range of consumers, as will new listings with the likes of Sainsbury’s.
“We are so incredibly proud to be continuing our cider and perry production with the original environmental values that were established at our inception. Everyone has a part to play in creating a more sustainable future for our planet, and we are committed to doing what we can.”
