It's all apples and pears for Brothers

Brothers Drinks Company is to launch its famous seven per cent pear cider into the on-trade.

The product made its name at the Glastonbury music festival, which takes place each summer only four miles from the Brothers Drinks headquarters in Shepton Mallet, Somerset.

"We started attending the festival in the early 90s," said managing director Matthew Showering.

"Each year we have got busier and busier. Finally after the 2004 festival we were getting such a large volume of calls from people who had been at the festival asking where they could get hold of the product, we decided to properly package it and take it nationwide."

The pear cider will form part of a range of four ciders, which include an original cider at 4.7 per cent ABV, a strawberry cider at four per cent and a 4.7 per cent version of the pear cider for licensees who feel the original is too strong.

Because of the strong association with Glastonbury the range will be targeted at music venues and pubs across the UK as well as top-end pub food outlets.

"There has never been a better time to launch a range of bottled ciders and we are very excited by these products.

"The popularity of the brands has been highlighted by the number of online sales and shows consumers are developing a taste for our ciders," said Mr Showering.

The company was formed in 1992 by Matthew, Jonathan, Francis and Daniel Showering. The Showering family has been involved in cider and perry-making in Shepton Mallet since the 17th century.