OUGD503 - YCN - Orchard Pig - Industry Research

To begin the research for the unit it was firstly most important to read in to the topic of traditional and craft ciders and to first understand the area of speciality research must be completed before the design work can be as informed as it can possibly be. The first step that was taken was to read articles pertaining to traditional ciders and its place in the craft beer industry.

http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/Drinks/Beer/Craft-cider-the-new-craft-beer

The first discovery of which would help me understand what the specialist and craft cider is like is the article found at the address above, it begins by providing a number of quotes about what representatives of cider companies like mention think about the world of cider as a specialism and it had made it immediately apparent how strongly people of the industry of craft cider think about the topic, and this is something that definitely will need to be conveyed through the designing of the Orchard Pig Campaign. One of the main components of this brief will be conveying the pride of Orchard Pig that surround everything they do in the cider world be it the quality ingredients that comprise it, the love and care that is put in to the process or how they act as a craft cider company.

David Sheppy says "Craft cider is about a whole range of things, not just the contents, but also the manner in which it is made,” ,David Sheppy is head cider maker at his family’s firm, which has made Sheppy’s cider on a Somerset farm for almost a century.

Martin Thatcher, Thatchers managing director and fourth-generation Somerset cider maker agrees, “A craft cider is subject to the same attention to detail, and years of experience, as other trades. Techniques come from years of experience, both in the orchard growing the right apples, and in the mill. Craft cider is a product that has authenticity, heritage, provenance and substance behind it” 

Aspall’s Henry Chevalier Guild is also keen to point out the role of true artisanship in cider production. “All along the way, a nose and a mouth have to be guiding the making, maturation and blending. And a craft product should have the freedom to differ from batch to batch, as the raw material changes.”

Oliver adds: “I see craft as meaning ‘hands-on’. Everyone is involved in the fruit collection — the actual making of the cider. In short, you get your hands dirty. It should have a lot of heart and soul as well as outright commercial targets.”