Cider-maker presses ahead with plans for expansion

It’s been a very good year for Stonewell Cider, both because of the sunshine and because the South Cork cider has just scooped two gold awards at the UK Great Taste Awards.

“In the heat of July, two of our distributors sold more than they had for the first six months of the year,’’ says Stonewell Cider managing director Daniel Emerson, who is having a busy August after the announcement of the Great Taste awards at the start of the month. Among the many calls he received was one from a high-end store in the UK which plans to stock Stonewell cider come September.

One of Ireland’s first craft cider producers, Stonewell, is a small but growing operation which is looking to develop export markets in the UK and North America. Started in 2009 in the depths of recession, when banks weren’t lending, it has build up nationwide sales and is making plans to expand production.