The environment and biodiversity is extremely important to the team at The Big Bear.
We are passionate about our trees and we are investing in them. We are against intensive, quick yield farming that use pesticides and quickly exhaust the trees. We are in this for the long haul. Our trees are grown without using pesticides and we deal any unwanted insects using traditional methods. Birds and ladybirds love aphids! It can be labour intensive, but the end results and the satisfaction we get knowing that our ciders encourage biodiversity makes it worth the hard graft.
We nurture our trees, and they repay us. We have invested in worm beds to feed the soil, worms eat waste food, so we use coffee grounds, naturally high in nitrogen, from local coffee shops to feed them. Pulp left over from apple pressings is enjoyed by the worms and put goodness back into the soil. Bat boxes and bird boxes are used to encourage wildlife to control pests naturally. A symbiotic process that works to produce a sustainable, delicious, exciting product.
We grow new and traditional apples in our Essex orchards; we have nearly twenty apple varieties grown for their juice, taste, and diversity. Each variety adds something special to our craft cider blends. The difference in flavour we create with our variety of apples is vast compared with mass produced cider, which can be pumped full of chemicals and artificial apple flavouring agents.
We are working to preserve old English apple varieties and create cider in the time-honoured tradition, but with a healthy dose of modern technology thrown in. This seamless blend of old and new allows us to create refreshing and delicious ciders, catering to modern tastes.
We’ve chosen to sell our sparkling cider in cans because they are environmentally friendly. The metal used to make them is 100% and infinitely recyclable, with no loss of quality. And as anyone who has seen a can of The Big Bear cider can see, that they look good too.
Cans have an advantage in terms of transportability and are ideal to take on a picnic or to festivals, where glass is banned. Being lighter than glass, they leave less of a carbon footprint, plus seven out of every 10 cans are now recycled; they are popular with retailers, too, because they take up less shelf space and stack!
Craft cider suits canning best both from the point of view that it helps to preserve the bright flavours of the apples, protecting them from light damage, and offers a great backdrop to display our brand.
People want to know what goes into the drinks they consume. This increased awareness has led to people seeking gluten-free products, giving gluten-free cider an advantage over beer.
- Drink local
- Drink apples
- Drink in cans
- Drink seasonal
We are passionate about the environment.
Essex was once a major producer of apples with extensive orchards growing local varieties. Some Essex varieties are well known like Discovery or George Cave but others are less familiar. Have you ever enjoyed a Chelmsford Wonder, a D’Arcy Spice or a Braintree Seedling?
Orchards are hotspots for biodiversity and support a wide range of wildlife, as well as an array of Nationally Rare and Nationally Scarce species.
We believe both worlds can live alongside each other.
Branch to press in minutes. No road transport of the apples to the production facility as this is on site. No transport costs and produce remains fresh.
