Orchard Network

 

Local Orchard Groups

One of the main purposes of many orchard groups is to ensure that local orchard produce is utilised. Many own or hire presses and other equipment for communal use, or put orchard owners in touch with fruit buyers.

National Orchard Forum

 

Buying and selling online

The Gloucestershire Orchard Group has created an innovative online market place for all sorts of orchard produce. You can sell and buy fruit, cider making equipment and produce. You can also find or post up equipment to hire. The site has recently been revised to cover the whole country and is free for anyone to use.

Orchard Marketplace

FruitShare is a project hoping to bring together people with surplus fruit in their orchards with other local people who have a use for it.

FruitShare

 

Cider & juice making

Processing your apples into juice or cider instantly 'adds value' to your crop. And even if you are not producing large enough volumes to sell, you can just enjoy it for yourself. There are plenty of good books and websites on the subject, but going on a course can very helpful too. Some are listed below.

 

Courses

Cider Academy - offers one day introductory courses in cider and juice production - or a range of more focussed and in depth courses.

Assington Mill - Cyder & Perry making

Upper Neatham Mill Farm - Residential cider making in Hampshire

Pershore College - courses in juice and cider making

 

Equipment

Vigo Ltd - Vigo have been supplying apple juicing and cider making equipment to both kitchen garden enthusiasts and commercial producers for over 25 years. Their hobby range includes fruit presses and crushers, fermenters, pasteurisers, bottles, bag-in-boxes, tripod ladders, harvesting sundries, books and lots more; see www.vigopresses.co.uk, click here to request a brochure, or call 01404 892101 for advice. Their commercial scale equipment includes everything needed from presses to labelling machines; see www.vigoltd.com or call 01404 892100 for advice.

Core Equipment - Core Equipment has an ‘Easy-Juice Starter Kit’ package of equipment for first time apple juice producers. The starter kit is aimed at serious hobby enthusiasts who want to turn their hobby into a business.

Orchard Link - Orchard Link has equipment that members can hire for apple pressing and pasteurising.  All pressing equipment comes with the press, an electric mill to pulp the apples, various buckets and bits and pieces - in fact all the bits you need to make apple juice.  To book the equipment please contact George Arnison presshire@orchardlink.org.uk  or tel 07759 658737.

 

Community Supported Agriculture

Community supported agriculture (CSA) is a partnership between farmers and the local community, providing mutual benefits and reconnecting people to the land where their food is grown. Orchards make excellent candidates for this kind of structure. The Soil Association provides excellent information and support if you are interested in setting one up.

The Soil Association

Orchards and CSA - Soil Association CSA

 

Marketing mistletoe

There are novel ways of generating income form your orchard. The Tenbury Mistletoe Group have set up an online mistletoe market and sell mistletoe for christmas and weddings. All the mistletoe is harvested sustainably!

Tenbury English Mistletoe Enterprise

 

Selling to cider makers

It is worth investigating whether your local cider or perry maker will take your crop from you. You may have to harvest and deliver the crop yourself, but some will do that for you if your orchard is quite large and there is easy access.

 

Community Food Enterprises

Making Local Food Work helps people to take ownership of their food and where it comes from by providing advice and support to community food enterprises across England. If you are involved in a community food enterprise or interested in starting one in your community this website may be able to help.

Community Food Enterprises

 

Reading list

Protecting Our Orchard Heritage: a good practice guide for managing orchard projects (2008) Ida Fabrizio, Sustain, ISBN: 978-1-903060-46-9

This publication features case studies and contacts for marketing orchard produce, covering ideas from tree sponsorship schemes to co-ops and researching local retail outlets.

 

 Image: NTPL/Ian Shaw