DE45Cider
Meet the tiny Team
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Anne Fournier
‘The French scientist and the maker’
Just given up on my ‘proper job’ as an organic chemist to do something different. No food waste in my house being my motto and always making use of the beautiful fruits and veg from my allotment and foraging, I would like to inspire others.
I inherited my love for cooking and being self-dependent with food as much as possible from my parents in France, who are keen gardeners, small animal raisers and preserve makers.
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Simon Mabey
‘The English dreamer and thinker’
I run a small but growing technology business and hope to encourage positive change. A resilient beekeeper (I had an anaphylactic shock from a bee sting but still help Anne to keep bees) and spending time watching stuff grow and enjoying the harvest.
As a youngster I spent all my time exploring the woodlands, streams and rivers. catching and foraging for food which tasted better than anything shop bought.
Our Mission
It all started when we put our beehives in Alison and John’s small orchard in Bakewell. A lot of apples are usually collected to eat or give but it happens that some excess fruit are left behind and it always heartbreaking in our worldview.
Our mission is to start a small project collecting apples from the DE45 sector and the surrounding area to produce juice and eventually cider in the aim of reducing food waste and engaging with the community. Besides, craft cider is a particularly sustainable beverage to make because it is produced from perennial tree crops that are easy to grow and harvest, and the fermentation process itself doesn’t require any large machinery and only little electricity.
Everything starts with apple juice…
In the autumn, if you have an orchard, an apple tree in your garden, at your school or place of work, or know of a neighbour or friend who has excess fruit from their garden trees up to 15 miles radius from our base in Bakewell, we invite you to donate your excess apples in return for free apple juice bottled and pasteurised. We are also happy to harvest/collect your apples if you don’t have time or are not able to.
The balance will be sold locally to village shops, specialist food stores, farmers markets and pubs to cover the costs of the project and invest the money made, in turn supporting the hospitality sector with local produce.
… good cider takes time and knowledge…
There is no point to make cider if we don’t create a product of good quality. Therefore, we will take some time to master the craft before offering cider. The concept of ‘recipe’ does not apply to cider. Let’s admit it, it is going to be a constant learning process focusing on understanding the terroir, trying different fermentation techniques and visiting other cider craft makers in order to produce flavours that people enjoy.
Apple juice or cider you will be the DE45CIDER
… next step apple cider vinegar.
The aim is also to create a database of apple trees and donors who can be contacted every year, so that in future as little as possible is wasted.
The natural apple juice tastes great and can be shared with family, friends and community or spread happiness with gifts. We don’t want to encourage people to drink, we just think that a glass of a nice drink brings communities together. Anything that brings us together around a table is a healing thing, the French lady says.