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We had the opportunity to sit down with Crafty Nectar, a UK-based cider subscription & blogging website to talk about the cider scene across the pond. They have been a well-established resource in a region of the world richer and more educated in the field of cidermaking and cider tasting. As many US cidermakers learn the craft by going overseas, we could learn a few things from the consumer side of the industry. Craft Nectar gave us a glimpse into this wondering world while giving us a distinctive look at what brought them to be.
1) Tell us more about Crafty Nectar, how it started, and where you see it developing.
Growing up I was surrounded by amazing craft cider producers in rural Dorset, I’ve always had a passion and interest in craft cider. When I left the West Country and moved to London a few years ago, I was shocked by the limited amount of good quality craft cider available in pubs across the Capital. I found that most supermarkets, pubs, and bars just had mass-produced ciders that aren’t actually real – they’re packed full of concentrates, artificial flavourings, and low apple content. So it became my mission to change this and give everyone easy access to unique, real cider. That’s how Crafty Nectar was born.
Crafty Nectar has been created to connect people with ciders that are made in the traditional way: no concentrates, artificial flavourings and gluten-free. Every cider is sourced directly from small independent producers – we want to give them a chance to shine, and for their products to get into the hands of the people that will truly appreciate them.
In the UK, there’s a desire to connect with something small, something crafted, something local. Crafty Nectar is trying to service this desire.
We started in 2015 and have seen pretty rapid growth and now send out thousands of boxes a year and work with over 150 different UK cider makers and a few international ones.
2) What do Brits think of American cider and our usage of the word hard cider?
I think the majority of Brits are unaware that America even produces cider. It’s not something that is easy to find and buy over here, the only brand of note is Angry Orchard and that’s pretty sparse. But from someone such as myself that takes a keen interest in whats happening overseas, it’s exciting to see the pace at which the US cider industry is growing.
In terms of the usage of hard cider, I’m not sure it helps to conjure up an image of quality and doesn’t make much sense to me, but it definitely helps to give a clear indication for drinkers as to what is craft and what is not.
3) Do you deliver to the US and do you plan on selling more US products?
We don’t, we have had a lot of requests but logistically it’s very challenging. We would be open to selling US cider, so if any cideries are reading, please get in touch and we’d be keen to look at the details.
4) What countries other than Britain do you sell cider from?
We have sold ciders from Italy, Sweden and we have just imported some really exciting ciders and perry from Luxembourg! Which you can read all about on our blog at Craftynectar.com. International ciders are definitely an area of our range we want to grow through. Currently, we are chatting with Schillings cider to see if we can get some of their stuff over here.
5) Why do you think cider subscription boxes have grown in popularity over the recent years?
I think part of it is down to premiumisation, everyone wants the best products, especially when it comes to the food and drink industry. They want to experience the creme de la creme of that sector. People are also becoming more aware of what they`re buying with regards to the ingredients and if it’s eco-friendly and sustainable etc.
Most cider makers are also very small and tend to only serve their local markets, so a good range can be difficult to get your hands on. Our subscription service takes away this barrier.
6) What new cider innovations do you see in your area of the world?
We are coming across more ciders with hops, ciders with low alcohol content and there is also the constant change of vessel, from the 50cl bottle to 33cl bottle and to canned. But in all honesty innovation is limited here in the UK and this is due to duties set by the UK governments which can make doing anything other than Apple cider or Perry really hard.
7) What is the best cider festival in the UK?
This is going to sound so dull but there isn’t really one specific cider focused festival, which is madness! There are a couple that go alongside beer but we find cider always takes a backstage in those. But with regards to ciders, being judged and having access to a broad range of small-batch cider, it would have to be the Royal Bath and West Show in Somerset. The Cider Championships are held there every year and it’s on our doorstep.
We want to change this though and we are looking at creating Crafty Nectar’s own version of CiderCon in the UK in 2019. Watch this space!!!
8) What types of cider are there now? Still the traditional styles like dry, semi-dry, semi-sweet, and sweet?
In terms of sweetness – dry, medium dry, medium, medium sweet, and sweet. Then there is still, carbonated, keeved, flavoured with other natural fruit juices. Single Variety’s, Blends and Hopped. Cider can also be finished in a variety of casks, like Whisky, Rum, etc.
9) What is the best way to approach new cider fans? How do you get them interested?
We’ve found food shows to be a good way of promoting real cider to the average non-cider lover. We do a lot of marketing through our social media accounts and we do tastings at various restaurants.
10) Why is tradition & history so integral for cider?
It’s a part of our culture, our history, our land. Britain is to cider, what France is to wine. We need to make sure we look after it and take it forward with the times like any other industry to keep it growing.
11) Where do you see cider in 5-10 years?
That’s a tough one, we started this journey to educate people on why real/craft/hard cider is such a fantastic product that didn’t deserve its dodgy reputation. If in 5 years I am seeing more people in a pub drinking cider than beer than I will be happy. If that’s happening then our goal of driving the industry forward is working and crafty nectar will have become synonymous with the word craft cider. Its a long shot but I reckon we can do that in five years…maybe.
