Westons launches cloudy cider for pubs and returns to TV

The family-owned cider maker is launching its first TV advertising campaign for its Henry Westons vintage cider, aiming to capture the consumer trend for authentic, craft products.

Alongside this, the summer months will also see the return of its TV advert for Stowford Press, the company’s ‘premium mainstream’ cider and best-selling brand.

To accompany this investment, Westons is upping its on-trade activity by supporting ‘premium’ outlets that stock its brands through new glassware, bar runners, cider menus, festival kits and other marketing collateral.

The Rosie’s Pig Festival range will be available to pubs in a 10-litre bag-in-box format and the 4% ABV cloudy cider has three new fruit variants: rhubarb, damson and raspberry.

New drinkers​

Developed under the new Rosie’s Pig brand design, with contemporary pump clips and point-of-sale material, each of the three pump clips shows the Rosie’s Pig, which was Westons original delivery truck.

Tim Williams, Rosie’s Pig brand manager, said: "We are delighted to launch our new Rosie’s Pig Festival range of ciders. The names of the ciders each relate to stories about Rosie’s Pig, Westons first delivery truck, which was notorious for being ‘a pig to start and a pig to drive’.

"The new Rosie’s Pig Festival range flavours of Rhubarb, Damson and Raspberry will help broaden the appeal of cloudy cider, bringing in new drinkers across all age groups."

Earlier this year, the cider maker launched its second variant under its Caple Rd canned cider brand​. The 5% ABV dry cider, “produced in small batches,” is packaged in monochrome 330ml cans specifically for ‘premium’ pubs and bars.

Cider growth​

The company has also released its annual state-of-the-market analysis, which said the overall UK cider category was worth £2.84bn and grew 0.8% in the on-trade year-on-year, with about 1.4 billion pints bought.

Cider’s share of the overall alcoholic drinks market has stalled but there was still big growth potential in the craft segment as drinkers’ look for interesting premium drinks.

The number of pubs with three or more cider taps had also risen by 3.2% year-on-year and now account for about one in six on-trade outlets.