Overall, Australia’s cider category is expected to significantly decrease in value over the next few years, largely driven by the strong performance of RTD. This downward trend has already led to major industry players devaluing their cider portfolio, including CCEP terminating its almost decade-long partnership with Rekorderlig.
Despite this, President of Cider Australia and Director of LOBO Cider Warwick Billings says the craft cider segment is continuing to generate interest:
“I think that everyone knows that hospitality is doing it tough at the moment. Post the covid bounce the world has more uncertainty, cost of living, interest rates, housing availability, weather changes. On top of that there is geo-political unrest. We live in interesting times, and budgets are tight.
What has that meant for cider? Cider splits into two main market segments – mainstream and craft. Within both you can find considerable variety – such as the many fruit variants and pear ciders.
Cider Australia represents the 100+ craft producers spread around Australia and while overall as a segment cider is down, the craft section has some resonance in the market. Craft cider is all about pursuing the real – Australian grown apples, integrity, authenticity, locally made, by people with connection – craft cider is weathering the overall static situation of the cider market reasonably well. Even when money is tight, craft has traction.
Craft cider can be both modern and traditional styles, the primary difference being the type of apples used, and then the cidermaking techniques. Craft cider is creating a diversity in the cider landscape that is new to Australia. The modern styles lead, and are fresh, fruity and ideally suited to our summers. There is also increasing interest in traditional methods, coupled with cider apple varieties that have been bred over hundreds of years expressly for making ciders. These allow the cider makers a broader range of flavours and complexity.
Cider is, after all, a type of fruit wine. In the UK and USA there is a lot of interest in Cider is Wine campaigns, essentially promoting cider as a lower alcohol alternative to wine, made from fruit (mostly apple), using very similar methods and naturally occupying the lower alc niche. Supporting craft cider supports local apple growers (not concentrate makers somewhere unknown), local production, and jobs; and benefits local economies.
Cider Australia runs the annual Australian Cider Awards each Spring, ahead of peak cider season. Trends we see are an increasing proportions of cider packaged in cans, an expanding range of traditional ciders, better and better ciders with fruit and botanicals. In our show only natural flavours are permitted, so keeping with the craft ethos, real fruit is used as an adjunct to enhance the ciders.
Over the coming year, we will continue the task of educating people about cider. The foundation of this is to build greater awareness and understanding of Cider Australia’s 100% Australian Grown Trust Mark, an industry owned and managed stamp of quality that helps consumers identify craft cider made from 100% locally grown fruit. We also plan to offer more formal cider education for trade representatives and others who buy and sell cider, through the American Cider Association cider education. More on this soon.”
This article was written by Warwick Billings (above) for Drinks Guide 2025, which was distributed nationwide in December and can be viewed digitally here. If you did not receive a physically copy and would like to be added to the Drinks Trade/Guide magazine mailing list, get in touch with the team now.
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