A year in the making
Armagh Cider Company
"From Blossom To Bottle"
The apples for our apple juice and cider are grown on the home farm at Ballinteggart where orchards have been nurtured for more than 100 years. We are proud to have been at the forefront of bringing cider production back to the Orchard County. Everything is done in-house, as we say, from Blossom to Bottle.
The Blossom
The apple season begins around the end of April, when the beautiful rolling countryside of Armagh is transformed by acres of intense pink apple blossom (with little patches of white and red from the cider and eating apples).
The Apples
The apples, which begin to grow after the blossom fades, are harvested between September and November.
Harvesting
They are handpicked by experienced apple pickers who know that quality is essential and that the apples must be treated gently to avoid bruising.
Pressing The Apples
Our production process begins with pressing the apples. We tweaked the traditional rack and cloth press method using a belt press. It produces the same superior quality juice with more texture and flavour because tiny bits of fruit remain in the juice.
This exquisite juice is then bottled to make AJ – our Apple Juice
The juice destined to become cider is given time to develop and mature to ensure that the full flavours of the apples are carried through.
Bottling Our Cider
By May or June the cider is ready to be bottled. Nothing but pure apple juice is used in our cider. The juice is a blend of Armagh Bramley apples which proudly bears the PGI status, some eating apples and cider apples all grown at Ballinteggart.
All our products are artisan and handcrafted meaning a completely natural product, containing no artificial ingredients or flavours. This may mean that colour and taste will vary according to the growing season of the apples.