Case-studies


National Association of Cider Makers

The National Association of Cider Makers (NACM) – which represents major brands like Bulmers and
Magners through to 100s of small local outfits – now actively encourages its members to use the
resulting report Cider Futures as a strategic development tool and as a ‘filter’ to assess major
new initiatives within those companies.

The report includes a vision – co-created by Forum and the NACM - which reflects the requirements
and aspirations of the cider industry as a whole for 2022.  Key elements include:
  * Climate change: learning from Spanish orchards about drought and heat-tolerant varieties of
apple
  * Carbon emissions: identifying the hot spots and aiming to reduce CO2 by 30% by 2022
  * Pesticides: aiming to be ’better than compliant’
  * Waste: moving towards zero waste by reusing by-products, for example by turning spent yeast
into cosmetics or apple pulp into biofuel
  * Biodiversity: working with food and drink companies and academics to define a ‘sustainable
orchard’ in its widest sense – environmentally, socially and economically

Forum and the NACM also produced four scenarios for the same timeframe, which explore the different
ways that various external trends might play out in the future, and the challenges this could pose
to the industry as it strives to achieve its vision.  These include a growing population (whose
need for housing could see orchards pushed down the priority list for land use), water scarcity and
climate change. Somerset, one of the UK’s key cider making regions, is likely to suffer from lower
rainfall in the future, according to projections from the UK Climate Impacts Programme.  Changes in
the way that society views alcohol, as well as changes in regulation, are also likely to affect
business.

The NACM identified the risks and opportunities inherent in each of these possible future worlds,
and explored how best to mitigate the risks and seize the opportunity to become more profitable and
sustainable. Marketing based on the provenance of cider – whether this focuses more on local,
regional or national affiliations - and developing low-alcohol alternatives were opportunities that
came up repeatedly.

The NACM plans to carry out regular formal reviews of this work every two years to ensure that the
scenarios remain valid, and to check that the industry is making progress towards its long-term
vision.

For a copy of the Cider Futures report please contact the NACM via Nick Bradstock