Ihe beautiful girl from La Manche has the right to be ugly. To have blemished skin, to be shriveled or dry. We are talking about apples, of course. And even cider apples. No matter how they look, as long as they have taste. Nearly thirty varieties are grown in the 9,000 hectares of orchards in France, before being pressed. Their names are evocative, with Belle Fille de la Manche, but also Doux évêque, Guillevic, Doux Moën or Petit Jaune. A list that Prévert would not deny, the last resting place of the poet being located in Omonville-la-Petite, in the Cotentin, one of the strongholds of cider production.
Year after year, the bite of the frost sometimes crunching the yields, France picks 220,000 tonnes of juice apples. To be compared to the 1.37 million tonnes of golden, pink lady or granny smith, so-called “knife” varieties, harvested to be marketed on the shelves.
With a turnover of 225 million euros, the cider industry is high as three apples, but wants to be heard. It will also fly the flag at the Salon de l’Agriculture, which will open its doors in Paris on Saturday February 26. His battle: the promotion of sparkling drinks.
With the emergence of organic ciders, farm ciders, geographical appellations or even vintage ciders, and the creation of new brands, corked ciders are rising from the collar. Cidres de France has also signed a partnership with starred chef Thierry Marx to restore its label. But the road is long. This drink has long had a cheesy image, illustrated by table ciders, whose sales are declining. They now represent less than 19% of volumes.
“Tradition and Excellence”
“In four years, the average price of a bottle of cider in supermarkets has gone from 2.30 to 2.80 euros”, specifies Claire-Sophie Hass, marketing and innovation director of the Eclor group, the branch specializing in beverages of the powerful agricultural cooperative Agrial. With the brands Ecusson gone organic and Loïc Raison, it accounts for nearly 60% of cider volumes in France. It has also established itself across the Channel, with the acquisition of Aston Manor, a specialist in cider.
Be careful, do not confuse cider and cider. “There is, on the one hand, tradition and excellence, on the other a drink made from apple juice concentrate, glucose syrup and water which wants to compete with beer”, explains Jean-Louis Benassi, director of the Union Nationale Interprofessionnelle Cidricole. Two-headed cider… The most attentive consumers will check the label on the bottle for pure juice, proving that the drink is not made from concentrate.
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