In terms of the world of small food and farming, where do you feel that you fit into that? What is the importance of what you’re doing?

We grew up loving the outdoors and farming, especially organic farming methods. It’s essential to healthy living and eating. We were outdoorsy youngsters. We had a huge passion for the outdoors and land. So, I guess we fell in love with the process, heritage, and history of all the of the orchards before the drink more so. It’s a beautiful thing, making a product that people can enjoy from such incredibly beautiful locations with such a historical depth. This was something we could do together, as brothers, enjoying everything we value so much and what brought us together as children. There was a rising passion for natural wine and many high-end good restaurants in London were pushing us to make our cider even more natural. They wanted out produce but they wanted it in its purest form. We were asked to try to make the cider without the process of keeving. This opened a new interest for us, creating something with pure juice, to deliver the best possible drink. 

Do you see yourselves expanding?

No. We never had and that wasn’t ever our intention. The markets have completely changed in the last couple of years. Friends have started in other places, across England. The market has blown up massively. I mean, yes, we could expand, we have so much experience, but we’d be giving up our ethics. It’s not possible to sell and produce that much with keeping the product pure. Of course, it feels tempting, there are so many things that it would offer but we’d have to move, build, and buy a farm. I guess the mentality of most people is that a business is doing well, they’re making profits and sales are great so the obvious thing to do is to expand but it’s really not that simple.

When designing the label, what did you have in mind? It somewhat reminds us of a vintage champagne bottle. We have lots of natural wines and we find it really interesting seeing the different labels and which producers really go for it… there are some natural wine fanatics that are adamant on keeping the label simple. 

It’s the first year we’ve made this sort of change to our label. Prior to 2020, or labels were vibrant. Initially, it felt like a bit of a joke; that a product from Knighton could look so high priced. After 10 years, we finally feel established. It’s great that something from Knighton is making its way to beautiful restaurants across the country.We’re from Knighton and producing something that looks like a fine wine. The label is a rip off of the Beaujolais in the 1980s.

Jules and Guy were pioneers of natural wine making. People went to work with them before setting up their own natural wine’s businesses. They were a gang of four who specialised in biodynamic faming. So, our bottles are also in respect of them and it’s a really nice thing to have that attachment. 

Craft beer and speciality coffee came into the UK and took off well. Then we had the wave of natural wines which are slowly but surely building their way up. What is the trend with the cider and perry that you are producing and how do you see it maintaining in the future?

I think it’s often seen as a revolution, a cider revolution for instance. When you’re making a slow food product however, it shouldn’t be seen as a revolution. It’s fundamental. We want a gradual like of it, we’re not fussed about having this immediate attraction and boom. I have felt unconfident of the powers of cider. Beer has always outsold cider 10x in Britain. We drink far more beer and wine in comparison. Cider is a lovely drink that has a tie and a place, you know, with cheese and crackers on a sunny afternoon. It’s a communal thing. It’s also not the only thing we drink. Cider is in the minority, and we really can’t see overtaking beer or wine, which is fine, but it doesn’t mean that there isn’t room for expansion in the realm of cider. Cider has a lot more of an identity crisis in comparison to wine or beer. There’s a complexity around cider being a beer. We’re falling more into the wine market than the craft beer market, but I think it’s important to remember that cider is not wine, it’s cider. So, I guess a part of our roll in this is also establishing a new market. It doesn’t work independently yet but that’s not to say it never will. 

Certainly, in our experience as a small restaurant we have some customers who are totally enthusiastic and willing to try anything, but we then have customers who are a little more shy, they hear natural or organic, see it in a large bottle and the price and feel slightly apprehensive. How do we encourage people to switch from their typical ciders such as Strongbow or Thatchers that they get in a pub? 

It needs to be accessible. Selling it by the glass is a great way to introduce people to the product, it means they don’t have to commit to a whole bottle which can feel daunting and allows for a slow introduction to a drink that has been lost. 

-Helena Todd

To follow Dan and Adam in their cider and pizza adventures, have a look at their platforms. Instagram links below.