For a small group of entrepreneurial farmers who live near Pisgah, a tiny village in North Ceredigion, the sight of thousands of unpicked or windfall apples in local gardens at the end of every summer presented the perfect opportunity to set up a new self-financing eco-friendly business.
The group organised its first major collection of apples in late summer 2020, which they then pressed into 1,000 bottles of ‘Seidr Pisgah Chi’, a traditional dry cider that completely sold out within just two weeks last year. Last summer’s apples were picked in September, and are now fermenting in 30-litre barrels, in readiness for bottling this spring, and more apple trees and orchards have been planted, ready for the coming summer’s crop.
“Excitingly, this is a business ripe for further growth and development,” says Elen Pencwm, who supported the budding entrepreneurs through her role as a Farming Connect Agrisgôp leader. Agrisgôp is one of Farming Connect’s most successful personal development programmes, which brings together like-minded farmers and foresters to progress business ideas. Farming Connect is delivered by Menter a Busnes and Lantra Wales, and funded by the Welsh Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.
Elen knew most of the group members already, and as they were all registered with Farming Connect, she offered to set them up in a new Agrisgôp group in the summer of June 2019. The group met face to face quite a few times, before the pandemic restrictions forced them to switch to online meetings. Elen invited a number of specialist speakers to give them advice on issues, including picking and processing the apples, bottling, branding and social media marketing.
She also introduced them to Chris Charters, chair of the Welsh Cider & Perry Society, as well as plant breeder and geneticist Dr Danny Thorogood from Aberystwyth University’s Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Science (IBERS). Dr Thorogood recently established a new heritage orchard set-up at the University’s Gogerddan campus, which will protect more than 60 rare fruits from extinction.
By autumn 2020, all five members had sought permission from the numerous growers where they had spotted unused apples; had devised a rota of ‘who goes where’, and were ready to spend a designated weekend picking and collecting the fruit.
Under the watchful eye of the Gogerddan experts, the group learned how to process, rack and bottle their new artisan cider. They also applied for an all-important alcohol licence. By Christmas, they were ready to target pubs and restaurants, as well as locals keen to sample the new beverage.
Thanks to Elen, they had their ‘Pisgah Seidr Chi’ social media channels up and running ready to capitalise on the Christmas trade, and a professional photograph of the ‘famous five’, decked out in ‘turn of the century’ farm attire on the labels, touched a chord with delighted buyers.
“Elen supported us throughout our entire journey, and was there to help us celebrate when we sold out – 1,000 bottles in just two weeks – from a pop-up gazebo in The Halfway pub car park, where the whole plan began.”
So, what next for this enterprising gang?
“We are all determined to build on our success to date by sourcing more apples, making more cider and taking more orders!”