100% Australian grown cider trust mark hits the stores

3 Jun 2019

Craft cider bottles across Australia are appearing in stores featuring Cider Australia’s world first craft cider trust mark.

The trust mark is an industry-led initiative – backed by the Australian Government’s $50 million Export and Regional Wine Support Package – and part of Cider Australia’s campaign to build a sustainable cider industry in Australia and establish an export market for local brands.

The ‘back-to-earth’ cider trust mark has been well received within the industry since launching in October 2018, with 47 cider producers already signed up. This means the trust mark will feature on the producer’s cans and bottles, allowing consumers to easily identify the quality and origin of ingredients and make an informed decision when buying cider.

“The trust mark is going well and has really unified the cider community,” comments Sam Reid, president, Cider Australia. “The trust mark gives producers and orchardists a way to unite behind and take to market Australian grown craft cider, and I’m really proud of the work the team and industry have done to get the trust mark off the ground.

“We have existing producers lining up to put the trust mark on their product, as well as new producers joining Cider Australia. We’re also starting to see excitement with consumers, showing really strong, functional and emotional reasons to support Australian producers and orchardists.

“The trust mark appearing on cider bottles at this time of year is very timely from an export perspective. We’re seeing an increase in a consumer trend globally and in Australia with more and more interest of the style of cider from different markets, providing a different perspective of what traditional cider has been from the UK and France.”

Cider Australia will be hosting the National Cider Conference AusCider in Hobart, Tasmania over World Cider Day on 3 June.  

www.cideraustralia.org.au 

– Ends –          

MEDIA ENQUIRIES

To interview Cider Australia spokespeople and other industry representatives, please contact: Adrienne Pearson or Roberta Marcroft, Write Away Communication + Events Ph: 02 9978 1400, Email: adrienne_pearson@writeaway.com.au  roberta@writeaway.com.au 

About Cider Australia
Cider Australia is an independent, not-for-profit organisation funded by cider businesses and sponsors, established in 2012. It aims to build a sustainable cider category by undertaking activities that improve the quality of ciders produced and marketed in Australia. The organisation represents the interests of the cider industry to policy makers, calling for regulations and policies that support a diverse and evolving cider industry. 

About the trust mark 
Cider Australia has launched a 100% AUSTRALIAN GROWN trust mark that can only be displayed on ciders made with 100% Australian grown fruit. This is an industry-led initiative that will reinforce the premium quality of Australian craft cider and drive integrity in the market. When you buy a cider with the 100% AUSTRALIAN GROWN trust mark, you are not only buying a premium product but also supporting Australian growers, Australian jobs and our local communities. This trust mark has been developed with the support of levy funds from the Australian Apple Marketing Levy, managed by Hort Innovation, a not-for-profit, grower-owned Research and Development Corporation (RDC) for Australia’s horticulture industry.

National cider conference
AusCider is the cider industry’s annual information exchange and networking event that connects cider producers, fruit growers, researchers, suppliers and other industry representatives from Australia and overseas. The Batlow CiderFest organised and ran the first seven conferences in Batlow, NSW. Cider Australia will now manage the event as it moves to major cider centres in other states. Details about the conference are available on the Cider Australia website at cideraustralia.org.au

Did you know?

Country of Origin Labelling

Cider is a fruit wine made from fermented juice, in this case the juice of apples and pears. The origin of the juice in cider is an important consideration for many consumers, and Cider Australia believes that labels on cider should identify the country of origin of the juice.

The Federal Government introduced a new Country of Origin Labelling system in 2016. Cider, as an alcoholic beverage, is classed as a non-priority food under the new rules. Non-priority foods must include a country of origin claim on labels. As a ‘substantially transformed’ product, the country of origin statement for cider must relate to where the product was ‘made’ (fermented), rather than where the ingredients were ‘grown’. As a result, cider labels do not need to identify the origin of the juice.

Definition of cider

There is no minimum juice content in products labelled as cider in Australia. This is in stark contrast to the rules in other key cider producing countries, such as the UK – which has a 35% minimum juice requirement, and the United States – where cider must contain at least 50% juice.

Cider Australia advocates for reform of the definition of cider and perry in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code to ensure what is stated on the label aligns with consumer expectations, and the product composition requirements in comparable international markets such as the UK and United States.

Cider Australia believes that a product should not be labelled as cider or perry if it contains:

• less than 50% by weight of apple and/or pear juice, and/or
• alcohol specifically to increase ‘alcohol by volume’ (to ensure ready-to-drink style beverages are not called cider).

Download a copy of this release here.