Brothers Cider
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| Location | Shepton Mallet, England |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 51°11′29″N 2°33′04″W / 51.19139°N 2.55111°W |
| Key people | Showering Brothers |
| Employees | 110 |
| Website | www |
Brothers Cider is a brand of pear cider originating in Somerset in South West England. Originally available at music festivals, it is now served in pubs, bars and stores across the United Kingdom and internationally in countries such as Turkey, Singapore and Australia.
History
Brothers Drinks Co. Limited was started in 1992 by four Showering brothers, whose parents were involved with the production of Babycham from the 1950s.[1] It is based in Shepton Mallet, Somerset and employs 110 people. Brothers' Cider is fermented and bottled on the former site of the Anglo-Bavarian Brewery, which has been claimed as the first lager brewery in the United Kingdom,[2] although the claim is disputed.
In 1995, Michael Eavis offered the Brothers space for a bar at the Glastonbury Festival,[3] near the Jazz World Stage, but with sales restricted to Perry-based drinks. When the offer of “Perry” was met with little understanding the Brothers would describe it as “like cider but made from pears” and after repeating this tens of thousands of times the shorthand “Pear Cider” was introduced and understood.[4] Ten years later, in 2005, Brothers was packaged and launched into pubs and the retail trade.[5]
In 2007, Brothers began bottling soft drinks for Fever-Tree. 50% of Brothers' capacity is accounted for by Fever-Tree. Brothers became a minority shareholder in Fever-Tree in 2013. [6]
In 2009, Brothers Cider won a Cool Brand award at The Drum Marketing Awards.[7]
In 2013 a new range of packaging was launched,[8] for the company with a turnover of £46 million per annum.[9]
Festivals
Brothers has expanded from their one site at the Glastonbury Festival to attend a number of live music events and festivals each year. These include events such as Big Beach Boutique, Creamfields and the Glade Festival. Brothers can also be found at international festivals such Peats Ridge in Australia.
Current flavours
Brothers Cider is available in a number of flavours:
- Strawberry Pear Cider - 4.0% abv Strawberry infused pear cider.
- Wild Fruit Pear Cider - 4.0% abv Replaced the Tutti Frutti flavour with the Brothers rebrand in 2013, with added flavour of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.
- Toffee Apple Cider - 4.0% abv
- Festival Edition Pear Cider - 7.0% abv "Perry".
- Pear Cider - 5.0% abv "Perry", Light and naturally sparkling with a clean and refreshing taste
- Premium Apple Cider - 5.5% abv Fresh Apple cider made in a traditional West Country method.
- Cloudy Lemon - 4.0% abv Lemon infused pear cider.
- Coconut and Lime Cider - 4.0% abv, launched in 2015 to mark the 20th anniversary of the brand. Using real coconut water and lime juice, it is the first cider with coconut in the UK market. [10]
- Strawberry and Kiwi Cider - 4.0% abv, limited edition flavour launched in 2015 to mark the 20th anniversary of the brand.[11]
Discontinued flavours
- Lemon and Pear Cider - 4.0% abv Launched as a result of demand generated at 2007 festivals. It was discontinued but made a brief return in 2012. Replaced with Cloudy Lemon.
- Bittersweet Apple Cider - 4.0% abv. Replaced with Premium Apple Cider.
- Ginger Cider - 4.0% abv A special edition version of the Bittersweet Apple Cider with added Ginger extract.
- Tutti Frutti Pear Cider - 4.0% abv Created as a response to demand after people mixed the Strawberry, Lemon and Toffee Apple flavours together to create a new flavour at Glastonbury 2009. Replaced with similar Wild Fruit flavour in 2013.
- Rhubarb and Custard Syrup - The result of a competition in early 2012 to decide on a new Brothers flavour. Rhubarb and Custard syrup was made available in the Scream chain of pubs where it is mixed with regular tapped Brothers Pear cider.
References
- ^ "Cider company's band of brothers". Wells Journal. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- ^ "First lager brew house 'at risk': Britain's first lager brewery has been added to English Heritage's endangered properties list.", BBC News, June 30, 2004. Retrieved January 12, 2008.
- ^ "Brothers". Trafalgar Foods. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
- ^ "Pear perception". Morning Advertiser. 24 April 2008. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- ^ "Roll out the barrel, summer's here". Telegraph. 22 June 2006. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- ^ http://fevertree1.d3r-cdn.com/pdfs/original/608-595-233879-cinchona-cln.pdf
- ^ "Cider brand gets coolness award". Exeter Express and Echo. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- ^ Charles, Gemma. "Brothers Cider unveils premium packaging". Marketing magazine. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- ^ Robinson, Clemmie. "Brothers cider gets a new look". University Business. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- ^ "Brothers Ciders marks 20 years with unique new flavours". Retrieved 10 June 2015.
- ^ "Brothers brings coconut water to the cider marker". Retrieved 10 June 2015.