Kingstone Press set for a return to the bar on draught

Cider business Aston Manor Cider made the announcement Kingstone Press will be available on draught to the on-trade in both its traditional apple and wild berry flavours from Friday 1 March.

The business explained Kingstone Press is made by cider makers at the Aston Manor Cider Mill on the banks of the River Severn at Stourport-on-Severn, who use a blend of bitter-sweet Michelin and Dabinett apples that are grown in its orchards across Herefordshire and Worcestershire and are balanced with the juice from eating apples.

The Birmingham-based company said the result of their labour is: “A refreshingly good cider, crafted with care, in a modern way to ensure you get a quality cider every time with Kingstone Press.”

‘The King’ is back​

Katie Walker, brand manager for Kingstone Press at Aston Manor Cider, said: “We are so happy to announce ‘The King’ is back.

“This year looks to be a really exciting year for the brand, bringing Kingstone Press back to the on-trade market with our fantastic partnership with HB Clark. 

“We’re sure that consumers and publicans alike will be extremely pleased to see us return to the bar.”

Walker added almost 80% of 18 to 34-year-olds they surveyed would choose to buy Kingstone Press with all agreeing its brand design is unique and stands out at the bar.

“We pride ourselves on standing out from the crowd in a sea of very traditional cider brands.

“Teamed with our modern, innovative design to attract both a younger audience as well as cider loyalists, our mission is simple: to provide a range of great-tasting ciders for pubgoers across the UK.”

Previous results​

In Aston Manor Cider’s 2022 financial year results, for the 12-month period ended 31 August 2023, turnover nudged up from £139m to £142m while EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation) fell slightly from £5.7m to £5.4m.

The company said at the time: “During the year we continued to trade effectively and made progress on our strategic objectives, including the development of new products in a range of categories.”

Highlights included a record volume of apples pressed at the Aston Manor Cider Mill at Stourport-on-Severn and 10 national awards for product quality.

Progress was also made on becoming more sustainable and this involved the successful installation of two nitrogen generators, one at the Aston site, and a second at Tiverton in Devon. This reduced the volume of CO2 required by the business.