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Thatchers brings Blood Orange variant to 0.0% category
FAMILY cider makers Thatchers has brought its popular Blood Orange cider variant to the low/no category for the first time with its Blood Orange 0.0%.
Featuring a juicy cider that has been crafted using sweet dessert apples and blood orange flavour, it delivers a vibrant new addition to the low/no category and is already proving a huge success.
Made with the same care and attention that Thatchers prides itself on, the 0.0% recipe has been crafted by the Somerset Farm’s cidermakers to deliver a familiar depth of flavour and satisfaction that has been enjoyed with the original Thatchers Blood Orange Cider.
The alcohol-free cider, available in 500ml bottles, is being supported by an impactful advertising campaign from Thatchers, including TV, outdoor and digital advertising, plus extensive sampling activity, ensuring the new low and no drink remains front of mind.
Martin Thatcher, fourth generation cider maker at Thatchers, said: “Packed with sweet, juicy flavour, Thatchers Blood Orange 0.0% will delight the taste buds and quench the thirst of fruit cider fans looking to moderate.
“We’ve used all the expertise gained from 122 years of cider making at Myrtle Farm to create a satisfying alcohol‑free cider that stays true to the Thatchers Blood Orange that people know and love.
“It’s a brilliant addition for those wanting to enjoy the flavour of our Blood Orange cider, but without the alcohol”.
To learn more visit: Thatchers Cider trade
Whether consumers are looking for that refreshing pint, luxurious flavoured drink or that non-alcoholic option, cider has its chance to shine and take centre stage during the summer months.
Year-round drink
While it is now firmly established as a year-round drink, the warmer months remain a key sales driver for the category. And with the summer fast approaching having the right range and products on the bar could be a winner for operators looking to increase footfall and spend.
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Magners 0.0% pint bottle helping moderation
Magners is giving people even more options to enjoy its iconic over-ice serve this summer with the launch of Magners 0.0% in pint bottle.
Once seen as a seasonal trend, moderation is now part of modern culture with 23m GB adults now said to be attempting to moderate their alcohol consumption1 – as such the category is growing with no and low cider up 21% volume growth year on year2.
With summer bringing increased and often longer catch ups, many consumers will be looking for refreshing alcohol-free options and Magners 0.0% is well placed offering the same great taste as our original cider but without the alcohol.
Cider is a popular choice for those looking to moderate and for many they will be looking to try a brand they know and trust. Magners first revolutionised the category back in early 2000s and it’s still the number one packaged cider brand in the on-trade3 today and with 78% brand awareness among consumers4, it will make a strong addition in the fridge this summer.
For more information visit: magners.com/uk/
1 - Kantar Alcovision | Drinkers % | 12 m/e 30 Jun 2025
2 - Circana All Outlets GB MAT to 21.03.26
3 - CGA OPM 52 w/e 21.03.26
4 - YouGov Brand Index GB 52w data to 30.04.2026
Cider’s modern resurgence can be traced back to the early 2000s, when Magners transformed the category with its iconic ‘over ice’ serve. This premium positioning, complete with branded glassware, brought cider to a new generation of trend‑conscious drinkers and reset expectations for the category.
Fast forward to today and cider is firmly mainstream being stocked in 93% of on-trade outlets and being worth £2bn a year to the UK on-trade, with sales up 3.5% year-on-year (source: Heineken UK Cider Report).
It is now the second-fastest growing drinks category in pubs and bars, accounting for 9.1% of total wet sales by volume and 6.4% by volume. This is equal to 96 pints and 25 bottles of cider sold per pub per week, adding £443 in weekly sales to the average outlet.
Further evidence of the category’s strength comes from Westons Cider Report 2026 that shows that, in 2025, the total cider category in the UK was worth £3.17bn.
While rising costs, have pushed the average price of a pint of draught cider in pubs up by 32p to £4.79 and £5.46 in London, premium cider has been driving sales and gaining market share.
The report reveals that while volume sales fell by 4% in the on-trade it increased by 3.1% in value year-on-year. Premium taps were a major driver for cider gaining a 10.8% market share, led by draught apple with fruit cider gaining ground with a growth of 1.8% in category share.
Competition on the bar remains a challenge for publicans and suppliers, with lots of categories vying for draught lines and fridge space. Getting the offer right is critical, not only to capitalise on summer demand, but to appeal to that year-round customer.
Cheshire Cat Pubs & Bars, winner of Best Drinks Offer at the Publican Awards for the past three years, is one operator taking a proactive approach.
The group generates between 70% and 80% of its cider sales between April and September but has refined its range to maximise impact during the peak period and beyond.
“We took a really good hard look at our cider offer this year,” says co-founder Tim Bird. “We carried out a taste test where we got 10 cider-makers in. Out of the 10, Westons was chosen as the best of the bunch. The cider has gone down a storm.”
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OUTC!DER - New Cider Offering for Gen Z
With younger consumers increasingly choosing cider at the bar, OUTC!DER is well placed to offer something new this summer.
OUTC!DER brings a fresh take on traditional apple varieties thanks to its production process which sees the natural essence of apples added back.
This process, which is similar to IPAs with hops, creates a new taste experience in cider, resulting in an incredibly fresh, sweet and intense apple flavour, that is proving popular with younger consumers. With cider being the favourite drink for 19% of Gen Z alcohol drinkers, OUTC!DER is an exciting addition to the bar.
Cider is synonymous with summer and it’s also a time when consumers are more open to exploring new drinks, making it an ideal season to add a new offering. And with apple cider, particularly draught, still proving popular, OUTC!DER is a great way to attract new drinkers this summer.
OUTC!DER is available now from Matthew Clark and new venues will receive a free keg on install*.
* T&Cs apply. Subject to availability.
Source: YouGov Profiles+Great Britain 52wks to 22nd Feb 2026, Gen Z alcohol drinkers
An overall revamp of its cider range, before the good weather hit, had already seen 15% rise in like-for-like sales for the pub operator.
The group is now looking to build on that success with a Seafood & Cider Week, pairing bottled ciders with food to drive further engagement.
While the business offers a mix of keg, hand-pulled and bottled cider from Sandford Orchards Devon Cider, appealing to both the traditional cider drinker and repertoire drinker, authenticity remains at the heart of the strategy.
Fruit ciders are not a core seller for the pubco but they are trialling new cider variants within the business, including Seacider.
“We’ve got one pub trialling a second cider pump with a peach variant, which is really popular,” Bird explains. “Serving cider hand-drawn has also proved popular. We are also encouraging people if they are having it hand-drawn from the box to have it with ice.”
Elsewhere, the Old Windmill in Coventry, has made cider one of the cornerstones of its drinks offer with up to 50 ciders, including draught, bag-in-box and bottled. During the summer months, the pub witnesses a boost in cider sales as customers move from real ales to lagers to ciders.
The range spans everything from traditional scrumpy to perry and flavoured variants.
The pub also champions a local producer Stoneleigh Community Orchard Cider, which makes a 7% ABV real cider, with all profits going into community projects.
Pete Dunkley, manager at the Old Windmill, says giving people a chance to drink a local cider while offering that important community element has proved a successful move for the pub.
“Because it is local, it performs well for us,” he says.
Events have also played a key role in driving sales and encouraging people to visit. The pub’s previous Cider & Sausage Festivals have proven successful, demonstrating the potential of pairing cider with food as well as giving people another reason to visit.
Experimentation proving popular
Dunkley says the pub’s wide cider range means it appeals to all types of customers and while the standard ciders sell well, there is a growing popularity in flavoured variants and experimentation, especially among younger customers.
“The thing that really rocks it is the flavoured ciders,” he says. “The flavoured ciders are massively popular and we sell loads of them. Most of our cider drinkers are younger people and they like to try new things.”
Dunkley says more unusual flavours also encourage trial, with younger customers often opting for half pints to sample a wider range. At the Old Windmill, he reveals Lilley’s Piña Colada and Raspberry Mojito ciders are stand-out performers.
This appetite for experimentation is reflected across the wider market as younger consumers look for something different.
Serena Smith, head of category for the on-trade at Heineken UK, which has Inch’s and Old Mout in its portfolio, highlights the rapid growth of flavoured draught options.
“Flavoured cider remains one of the fastest‑accelerating segments. Flavoured draught is now available in 37% of UK on‑trade outlets, rising to 54% in outlets that already stock draught cider,” she says.
“Premium, flavoured cider has also grown significantly, now stocked in 14% of the on‑trade and showing strong organic momentum. Innovations such as Old Mout’s Flavourwave, which can serve three top‑selling flavours from a single tap, are helping operators expand choice without giving up bar space.”
David Bridge-Collyns, founder of Gravity Theory, which supplies 300 pubs across the country, with Apple, Hazy Pineapple and Berry Cherry cider, has seen a significant increase in demand of flavoured ciders. It has also produced a new pump tap aimed to stand out against other imaginative beer tap handles on the bar.
“We have seen a big shift towards flavoured ciders over the past few years, particularly within the younger consumer. Consumers are being adventurous with trying out different flavours and Hazy Pineapple really stands out because it’s quite unique,” he says.
“Fruit cider was heavily associated with bottles and mainstream brands but we’re now seeing bars actively looking for fruit options on keg too, especially for summer when they are more open to having a second cider line, which might have previously been a winter beer or a stout.”
Food pairings
At the same time, premiumisation remains a major opportunity for pubs, particularly when combined with food.
Rob Hobart, marketing director at Asahi UK, which owns Cornish Orchards, points to strong growth in higher-end draught flavoured cider, particularly when paired with food.
“Food-led pubs are seeing benefits from bringing flavoured ciders into their menus, driving relevancy and appeal. Peach & Apple, for example, pairs beautifully with summer dishes, such as a chargrilled chicken salad or goats’ cheese salad,” he says.
This aligns with a broader opportunity around food pairing highlighted by Paul Rudge, a cider pommelier and beer & cider champion for Molson Coors Beverage Company, which owns Aspall Cyder.
“Cider is versatile and opens up lots of opportunities for food pairings in much the same way as wine does. premium ciders, in particular, are a natural accompaniment to meals and a good way to drive incremental sales,” he says.
“Through Aspall, we’ve hosted a series of Aspall & Cheese evenings at venues across the UK, which can be a great surprise and delight moment for customers. Operators should consider cider tasting or food and drink pairing events to engage customers and share insight that they can’t get at home.”
Cider is also not immune to the growing popularity of low & no. The category is growing with low & no cider up 21% volume growth year-on-year(source: Circana All Outlets GB MAT to 21.03.26).
Thatchers Cider commercial director Joanna Austin says the trend reflects changing drinking habits. Thatchers’ own consumer research found that three in four people (74%) say they are moderating their alcohol consumption and 44% say they would be more likely to stay out at venues longer if they could have the alcohol-free version of their favourite drink (source: KAM Media - Thatchers Cider Drinkers Research, April 2025).
“Consumers are increasingly choosing alcohol-free options when enjoying midweek meet-ups, outdoor activities and even post exercise. They want refreshment, flavour and familiarity, but without the alcohol,” she says.
Austin warns many venues are missing out on sales because they are only stocking low & no fruit ciders and not an apple variant. Additionally, there is further potential for low & no because consumers are choosing to moderate their consumption. She highlights the growing trend for people to not only choose non-alcoholic options but zebra-striping, switching between alcoholic and low & no options, or book-ending, starting and ending the evening with a low & no alternative.
“We see low & no as complementary, rather than a direct competitor, to alcoholic cider. Rather than replacing traditional cider occasions, low & no is expanding the category by unlocking incremental drinking moments and recruiting new ones,” she says.
John Logue, founder of Chance Clean Cider notes many pubs are still under-serving the alcohol-free category.
He says pubs need to respond to consumers who are exploring cross-categories to find quality drinks for their meals, social occasions and moderation moments regardless of season.
“The growth of alcohol-free cider is helping broaden those consumption occasions to lunches, midweek occasions and social gatherings where they may previously have chosen something else,” he adds.
“Specifically, within alcohol-free cider, we are seeing an exciting growth period emerge around Christmas and new year. Moderation is becoming an increasingly important part of festive celebrations, with consumers wanting to enjoy the occasion without necessarily drinking alcohol every time.”
He also highlights the growing influence of moderate drinkers within social groups and is urging operators to treat cider as a fully developed category rather than a single line on the bar.
Meanwhile, Westons Cider head of marketing and strategy Sally McKinnon, argues there is a genuine opportunity for lower-strength apple cider that still delivers proper flavour and refreshment.
“Consumers want moderation options but they’re far less willing to compromise on taste or quality,” she says.
Back on the bar, however, execution remains key to delivering whether that is low & no or not. McKinnon says operators seeing the strongest sales aren’t necessarily the ones with the biggest range but the ones making the range work harder.
“Visibility behind the bar is also becoming hugely important. A bold font at eye level, premium presentation and strong branding genuinely make a difference. Cider has to fight harder for space now against premium lager, Guinness and expanding low & no ranges, so ‘stand-out’ really matters,” she adds.
She advises operators not to underestimate the power of key events, with the FIFA World Cup landing right in the middle of peak cider season giving pubs have a massive opportunity to cash in on longer sessions, group occasions and packed-out beer gardens.
“The pubs that really win are the ones that keep cider front and centre – visible, well-merchandised, perfectly chilled and fully stocked when those big match moments land,” she adds.
Meanwhile, Sula Richardson group PR & communications manager at Matthew Clark Bibendum says the World Cup is sure to be the “headline act” in what’s shaping up to be a monumental summer of sport.
“It will be no surprise to hear that beer and cider remain the most engaged match-day categories,” the spokesperson says.
“Operators should also look at the role cider can play with food, which is often a core part of summer socialising. Such ciders can help venues play into more occasions and increase dwell time.”
With fingers crossed for a summer of good weather, pubs could be reaping the rewards of consumers looking for that refreshing summer drink.
