Cider Australia is preparing to launch the inaugural Australian Cider Day, which will celebrate this country’s cider and cider makers on March 14.
In a bid to boost further consumer understanding about product origin Australian Cider Day will highlight the hundreds of ciders made across the country from 100 per cent Australian-grown fruit.
Following on from the launch of the ‘100 per cent Australian Grown trust mark’, Cider Australia President Sam Reid said both these elements will help advance local product recognition in Australia’s cider market.
“Over the last decade there has been huge growth in Australian cider production but unfortunately less than 10 per cent of cider consumed in Australia is made from Australian grown fruit,” Reid said.
“That’s really disappointing for local producers who are working extremely hard to promote the benefits of supporting locally grown fruit and locally made cider.
“As an industry we’ve been lobbying the government for years to change the labelling laws so people know where the apples in their cider come from. Wine producers must be honest about regionality, but unfortunately we have had no success for cider at this stage.”
Reid added: “As a committed collective, Australian cider producers are taking action into their own hands and are rolling out the new trust mark on their products. The mark is now on a significant amount of packaging so we think it’s time to make it mean something for drinkers across Australia.”
That’s where Australian Cider Day on March 14 comes in. The day will promote and generate publicity about the 100 per cent Australian Grown trust mark and also educate drinkers about quality Australian cider.
Cider Australia will publish a list of Australian Cider Day events on its website and promote use of the social media hashtag #drinkaustraliancider to ensure the country’s cider cheer is spread far and wide.
For more details visit the Cider Australia website.