Who are they? Merrydown is on a mission to re-establish cide

Merrydown was formed by three cider and wine enthusiasts ­ Jack Ward, Ian Howie and John Kelland-Knight ­ in 1946.

Their first cider batch, sold in recycled Champagne bottles, was made in Ward's garage from 450 gallons of apple juice in a 300-year-old oak press.

In 1947, Merrydown moved to its current base at Horam Manor in Heathfield, East Sussex, and recorded its first profit of £882 in 1950.

Merrydown gained a reputation for powerful cider when it increased its abv from 10% to 12.5% after higher duty was imposed on ciders under 8.5% abv in 1956.

The idea was: duty was the same at 12.5% abv as at 8.6% ­ so why not make it stronger?

By 1955, Merrydown was producing nearly 400,000 gallons each year.

The site now turns out 300,000 cases of Vintage Cider (Dry and Medium varieties) per annum, plus 1.7m cases of its Shloer fruit juice range, launched in 1992.

Merrydown also produces several unusual fruit wines including elderberry, redcurrants, gooseberry and cherry.

Back to the present, and Chris Carr, managing director of Merrydown's cider division, is confident the public is ready to rekindle its love affair with cider.

"RTDs may be coming off the boil and there is a trend that looks like consumers are searching for products that taste good and have more heritage and craftsmanship than just bright colours and an alcoholic hit," he said.

Main brands: Vintage Dry (7.5% abv), fermented using champagne yeast and culinary and dessert apples, is the top-selling cider.

But the most popular brand overall is Shloer White Grape ­ proof that Merrydown means more than just fermented apples.

Employees: 50 Don't mention: Multiple drinks offers and cider in plastic bottles.

"The cider industry needs to move away from the pile it high, sell it cheap' mentality and start reminding consumers and the trade that cider is a delicious refreshing drink with centuries of craft and heritage behind it," Carr said.

Future plans: Keep pushing the Upside Down brand.

"We are now looking to see how we can spend some money effectively," Carr said.

Merrydown is planning a new marketing strategy for Upside Down, but it probably won't surface until next April or May.

As the saying goes ­ watch this space.