Case Study Overview
Rich’s Cider are renowned cidermakers who produce traditional farmhouse cider, apple juice and perry from Somerset apples on their farm at Watchfield.
The Rich’s brand is very much a heritage brand with strong family roots. Founder Gordon William Rich started making cider at his farm, Mill Farm, in 1954, a few years after returning from service with the Royal Engineers in the Second World War. The Rich family are now in their third generation of cidermakers and the business is run by Jan (Gordon’s daughter), her husband Brian, their daughter Molly, and son George. George is now Head Cidermaker
Award winning Rich's Cider products include Taste of the West Gold in four consecutive years for their Golden Harvest Medium Cider, plus additional awards for Scrumpy Medium Cider, Vintage, Fused Blackcurrant / Raspberry fruit cider. More recently Rich’s Vintage medium cider won a coveted two star award from the guild of fine foods.
The Rich's Cider product range also includes notable contemporary ciders. Golden Harvest is a light, slightly sparkling cider with added apple juice to give a fruity aroma and refreshing taste; and their sparkling Fused Fruit Cider range includes a blush cider with a floral raspberry aroma and a dark cider infused with blackcurrants.
Development
In 2022 the family launched brand new farm shop and restaurant facilities at Mill Farm. Rich’s Farm Shop includes local food and homeware products, a food-to-go counter, cider tasting bar, and a 130 seater restaurant called The Cider Press. The farm is now a wedding and event venue.
Requirement
In order to improve their packaging efficiencies, George Scott approached us with a requirement for an automatic carbonated bottling and capping line with a production speed of 700-900 bottles per hour. The line needed to accommodate both carbonated and still products; and crown capped and ROPP capped bottles. Additional conveyoring was factored in in order to accommodate an existing labelling machine at the front end of the line, and work within space constraints at the end of the line accumulating bottles ready for pasteurisation.
Solution
We provided Rich's Cider with a Rizzolio automatic filling and capping machine, model, ISO AUTO 6.1C.1VA Rizzolio with 2 capping heads for applying either crown caps or ROPP caps, with associated conveyoring. The line was set up, installed and commissioned by our Engineering Team. The filling mode includes double pre-evacuation with double CO2 injection, and additional fill tubes for achieving different fill heights. Andy Pegman, Division Director for Vigo, says .. We were delighted to work with the team at Rich’s cider on this exciting project for their packaging facility after so many years of working together. When approached regarding the project, we had recently installed another similar Rizzolio line at Polgoon Vineyard in Penzance which George was able to go and see working. It is fantastic that this new bottling line removes the strains within their production and allows them to handle all products across their range.
Feedback
We asked George the following questions:
- Rich's Cider is a great example of a heritage cider brand which has succeeded in raising the profile of cider as a premium product and a go-to destination. How important to you is making cider relevant and accessible?
We invested in a new bottling line as there is no doubt consumer tastes and styles of product preference are changing; we wanted to ensure that we are evolving our product range to keep up with current and future trends
- It's one thing being a working cider farm, it's quite another being this in addition to a retail outlet, hospitality venue and museum which operates 7 days a week. How do you and family members involved in the business try to achieve a good work-life balance?
As a family we always work together as one unit, but we are also reliant on the dedicated and loyal hardworking staff that we employ in the business; At the end of the day it’s a team effort with everyone striving to succeed - How does it feel to be the third generation of a renowned cidermaking family?
Obviously I am proud to be able to be part of the family that carries on the family name in cidermaking, but most of all I would have loved to be have been able to sit and talk cider with grandad, and shared a pint with him, he would have been amazed at the changes at the business since his time. - If you were stranded on a desert island, which cider product would you choose to have with you and why?
I am a big fan of our new Low Alcohol cider cider, it has all the taste of our renowned ciders. Also I wouldn’t want to get too dehydrated stranded on a desert island!! - Why did you choose Vigo for your filling line?
Vigo engineering and aftercare is second to none, and whilst other options are available, its service and quality that counts with me. - What do you think of the filling line and the service we gave you?
from installation to commission the process was seamless with the correct technical support available to ensure we were able to start production within a matter of days. - How has the filling line facilitated your production?
we would not have been able to cope without the investment, and most of all it has freed up time and resources to focus on other initiatives and tasks.
