Thatchers

The brand, which has planted an additional 150,000 trees over the past five years, is building the new mill in order to meet growing demand

Thatchers Cider is splashing out £14m on a new cider mill at its Somerset base.

The Katy and Haze owner has submitted a planning application for a new mill, with an eye to having the facility up and running next year. The brand has already planted an additional 150,000 trees over the past five years.

The new mill, if granted planning permission, will use less energy and be sustainably powered by energy generated on site. It will increase Thatchers’ production capacity from 450 to 1,000 tonnes per day.

“This investment is about our confidence in the cider market and in the future of world-class cidermaking,” said Thatchers MD Martin Thatcher. “Our existing mill has served us well for many years, but we’re now looking to increase our capacity to meet growing demand.”

It comes as sales of Thatchers ciders have surged over the past year. The brand added £16.4m to its value, climbing eight places up The Grocer’s recent ranking of Britain’s Biggest Alcohol Brands [Nielsen 52 w/e 21 April 2018].

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