Following on from the incredible news we shared recently of Dunkertons Organic Cider, winning gold at the World Cider Awards, we met with Julian Dunkerton and his business partner, Bean Benson, to talk about their remarkable win, the journey behind Dunkertons, what it means for Cheltenham and the future of British cider.
Images - Julian and business partner, Bean Benson, with family and friends celebrating at Dunkertons Park.
Often described as the Oscars of the cider world, the prestigious award recognises true excellence in craft, creativity and flavour on a global stage. Winning gold at the World Cider Awards for your Black Fox Cider, is a huge achievement. What does this particular award mean to you both, professionally and personally, after more than four decades of Dunkertons heritage?
Julian - We've got a whole list of different awards that we've won over the years. But I think, of course, if you win the world gold... well you just can't beat that. It's amazing. It's like the World Cup, isn't it? You know. You're in the Premier League and then you win the World Cup. So yes, so it's absolutely fantastic. And, you know, it really is testament to the work that Bean does, because, as an entrepreneur, you know, I have quite a few businesses, and I am very focussed, obviously, on Superdry. So it falls onto Beans shoulders to make the cider perfect and that is what he has done. And he's really translated my father and stepmother's vision of what good cider is, and followed that tradition, and it's improved and improved over the years too. It's a great relationship we have.
Black Fox is described as a cider with depth and character. What story were you trying to tell through this cider Bean, and why do you think it stood out on the global stage when blind tested from hundreds of entries?
Bean - Depth and body are the main characteristics. This makes the cider stands apart from any others. Our blend has 16 single varieties of apples. Those characteristics make us stand apart from normal conventional ciders. The amount of people that come here, and I hear them at the bar saying - “I'm not really sure about cider, or I don't like cider” but once they try it, not just our Black Fox cider, but other Dunkertons ciders too, the usual reaction is - “That’s really nice, not what I was expecting.”
Julian - I think there are people who are slightly tainted. The world of cider is quite interesting. What should actually happen is, there should be a sort of category for a real cider, which is what we produce. And then there should be a category for commercial cider. The word ‘cider’ has been hijacked by the commercial boys, who might make a cider in a few weeks. These ciders have lots of additives. It's made from a concentrate, shipped in from abroad. Our cider is real cider, made using a blend of 16 apples, almost all from Herefordshire. 95% of all our apples come from Herefordshire. There are two counties in the UK that are famous for apples - Somerset and Herefordshire. We're obviously from Herefordshire originally, so therefore our roots are from there. And then it's about the blending process to really come up with a sophisticated product. And that comes from my parents, father and stepmother, love of red wine, bringing those skills into this process. It's a far more sophisticated product than virtually anything else out there. I mean, there are other great ciders. But I would say they are few and far between. And what I believe we should have is a different labelling process.
Dunkertons have been committed to organic farming long before it came fashionable, because right now, it is the big buzz word isn't it? What originally drove that decision by your parents, Julian, and how has that shaped your journey here at Dunkertons?
Julian - So I’m totally committed, me as a family man, as a human being and business owner, I’m totally committed to organic. It was drummed into me from a very young age. My parents were all over it, my father and stepmother were pioneers, really. I mean, we're talking 45 years ago. They were, I think, they the first cider to sign up to the Soil Association. I think we can all probably remember people talking about Prince Charles talking about organic, and people thinking he was slightly... eccentric, perhaps. And now, of course, it's totally mainstream. He's been proven to be totally right. Organic is fantastic for wildlife. It's fantastic for insects, it's fantastic for the soil. And let’s be absolutely clear there has been an ongoing experiment with our bodies, in terms of the additives and preservatives, and processes, and fertilisers, and, you know, the things that have gone onto an apple, or you know, farmed products and we don't know the true outcome of this experiment and we have to look at how this is impacting intolerances in all ages, including in children. There are all sorts of new things that are multiplied massively. We have to ask ourselves, ‘Is it partly because we're eating non-organic foods, and we don't know what we're actually eating?’ So, for me, organic is important, because it’s the only way we know that we are creating a pure product.
Cheltenham has been home to your cider distillery now for nine years and Cheltenham audiences love to support local talent don't they? What role do you think that Dunkertons plays in shaping the regions and also Cheltenham's, food and drink identity?
Julian - We've created something really unique here. I think it is really special. In an era of cookie cutter towns, to have something that is unique to a town. Therefore, the local community really adopt it, because they know they've got something different and special. And this place is busy all the time. It's so busy, even midweek. It is a fantastic venue, with great local food vendors. This isn’t us creating food, this is local food vendors who've all got their own local following as well. This is a curation of good, with a fantastic eclectic mix of events that are happening all the time but also you know, you can come here and have the best bread in Britain from the Boulangerie Artisan, and other brilliant food from local eateries, what’s not to like?
Last question for you both. Where do you go from here? You've got your gold award. What's next? Are there any new projects, or long-term ambitions?
Julian – Yes, so we’ve just launched Zero, our zero-alcohol cider, which we are excited about. Visitors will notice that the site is always evolving. My wife's head office for Holland Cooper is opening in January (Jade Holland Cooper, check out the videos Jade has been sharing on her Instagram account of the HQ build). It’s an incredible business with an incredible story, her journey is just amazing. Her product is sublime. We’re also opening a platform to have more outdoor seating along the river and our new paddle courts are currently going through planning. I don’t know if you know but I have a link with Balcarras School, I built the music department about five or six years ago. As far as I'm aware, they're now one of the best secondary schools for music in the country. I've got a link with Balcarras, they are our local comprehensive and I want to support them. So we're going to offer free paddle lessons to students so that they can come for a number of hours per week to learn to play padel.
Bean – 60% of our bar staff come from Balcarras so we feel this is a great service to offer them.
Discover more about the cider, events and facilities at Dunkertons Park - dunkertonscider.co.uk