Sustainability
Cider Brandy is demonstrably the most sustainable brown spirit in the world when made from apples grown on traditional orchards. It uses less water and less energy than comparable spirits and orchards are a priority habitat because of their huge environmental benefits. Burrow Hill Cider and The Somerset Cider Brandy Company’s vision is long term, sustainable and small.
Our traditional orchards take 15 years longer to grow than the average commercial orchard and yield less, but they require no insecticide or nitrogen input. Our ancient orchards house many owls, buzzards, bats, woodpeckers and song birds as well as all the invertebrates.
In the autumn we leave the last of our crop for the starlings and fieldfares and each year we plant oaks, hedges and wild flowers as well as new orchards. We also grow Morello cherries, plums, elderflowers and lavender on the farm. The lavender attracts bees and is distilled for its essential oils.
Our ultimate goal is to protect and grow the farm's unique and biodiverse environment.
In 2023 we became a net exporter of energy through our solar panels. Whilst we still use some energy from the grid in winter months overall we generate more than we use. Our waste water from pressing and distilling is treated and spread back on the land and the remnants of the pressed apples, known as ‘pomace’ is used to feed wildlife.
In 2003 The Somerset Cider Brandy company became part of the Slow Food Movement. This recognises our commitment to our unique environment. In our view this is more relevant to our artisan production than the current organic verification system, which has not evolved to meet new challenges and does not take into account the carbon cost of foods.
