‘Crowdfunding for apples’: meet the brewer trying to start a craft cider revolution in London

Brewer Simon Wright has netted seven tonnes of apples after he crowdfunded for apples in the capital
‘We’re riding on the craft beer revolution — it’s cool, the brands are cool — cider hasn’t got there yet’
Alex Lentati
Rod Kitson30 September 2015

An east London brewer believes cider will be the next drink to benefit from the craft beer boom after he “crowdfunded for apples” and netted seven tonnes of the fruit.

Simon Wright said the response had been “fantastic” after appealing to owners of urban orchards and gardeners in the capital.

“This whole idea of the social economy and sharing has taken off. People want to be part of something,” he said. “It’s like crowdfunding, but we were doing it for apples instead of money. People feel proud to say that it is a product they are part of.”

In payment, donors will receive some of the cider made at his Hawkes brewery in a railway arch in Forest Gate.

Mr Wright, 32, believed there was a “perfect storm” for the project because people are more aware than ever about food waste, social enterprise and artisan products.

“We’re riding on the back of the craft beer revolution,” he said. “But whereas craft beer is an attitudinal thing — it’s cool, the brands are cool — cider hasn’t got there yet. For us to be able to say we use London apples is a great selling point. We’re taking the authenticity of how it is made by the traditional producers, but using the modernity of some of the cooler brands.”

He started out making ginger beer before being contacted last autumn by an orchard owner about an unwanted windfall and his cider is now sold on tap in 40 pubs in London, while Harvey Nichols has just agreed to stock it.

“Last year, we got about three tonnes, but we were completely unknown and people gave us the apples on trust,” he said, adding that they were blended with supermarket rejects to maintain consistency. “We want to produce more and get as much of the urban apples into the blend as possible.”

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He opened a cider house at the brewery serving different varieties “because education on cider in London is pretty poor. We’re packed out every week.” He said Hawkes cider had a unique taste because of the history of the capital. “Bramley apples in east London are really prevalent. Back in Victorian times there would have been a lot of orchards when the city was smaller. We tried to keep it as authentic to the provenance of London as we could.

“We are working with a social enterprise to help them plant an orchard in West Norwood. We want it to be self-perpetuating so that is not just us that is getting bigger.”

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