Thatchers Partners with Weston College to Nurture the Next Generation of Local Talent

Welcome to Thatcher's Farm

Down on the family farm we are all slightly obsessed perfectionists, making cider with nothing but love. That’s why we don’t just grow 8 types of apple, we grow 458, and turning those juicy apples into a refreshing pint of cider is a craft we’ve have spent four generations perfecting.

As a family company, we’ve have been working in partnership with nature for 120-years. From planting new orchards using regenerative farming methods, to enhancing biodiversity with wildflower areas – or even building a 4m high, 5-star hotel for nature in an acre of wildlife haven, we’re committed to looking after the land around us.

Now, as we enter our fifth generation of cider makers, and with a business firmly rooted in nature and the environment, we’re constantly thinking about future generations. We know that if we want to be here in another 120 years, we need to take care of the environment and our people today.

Looking after the environment

We’ve planted over 158,000 trees since 2010 and will plant 13,000 more next year. We’ve added beehives to every orchard, and with help from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, we’ve made sure our orchards are bee friendly.

Every one of our ciders is made using 100% renewable electricity and with 3,500 solar panels on Myrtle Farm. Even the apple left over once the juice is squeezed is turned into green energy or used to feed local cows.

In the mill, new technology has just been installed which captures all the CO2 created in the fermentation process which is then used as bubbles in the cider.

We’re constantly reviewing our packaging too, from being the first to replace plastic rings with sustainably sourced card in 2016, to using lighter cans and saving the equivalent of a whopping 5.9m cans a year. We’ve even changed the way we wash our kegs and fruit, reusing and recycling water to save consumption, and have switched to electric forklifts and LED lights.

We’ve recently opened a new warehouse that is fully automated. That means work can happen in the dark and under one roof, delivering great efficiencies and power savings. It has also reduced vehicles movements.

The next generation

Planning for future sustainability doesn’t stop with the environment. We also need the right people with the right mindsets to ensure we’re here for another 120 years.

It’s why our apprenticeship programme is so important. It’s where we grow the future skills, talent and behaviours that we’ll need as we go forward.

Pairing with Weston College allows us to really focus on local, young talent. It means we can grow young careers alongside the business and the local economy. And as we move into the next generation, with Eleanor Thatcher recently releasing her first cider in Juicy Apple, our new apprentices will grow alongside her too.