Producer in focus: Dorset Nectar
A family cidery down the end of some very narrow lanes, making the real stuff from their own orchard and one of the first producers we ever worked with.
Some of our producers we’ve picked up along the way. Dorset Nectar have been with us pretty much from the start – well over ten years now – which makes them one of the longest relationships we’ve got. So when I needed to collect some cider last week, I was glad it was them.
Getting there is half the fun. They’re tucked away just outside Bridport, down the kind of Dorset country lanes that were clearly designed with a horse and cart in mind rather than a long-wheelbase Fetch The Drinks van. There’s a certain amount of breathing in, folding the mirrors, and hoping nothing comes the other way. Worth it, though because what’s at the end of the lane is one of the loveliest spots in the county.
Real cider, from their own orchard
Dorset Nectar make organic cider from the apples in their own orchard, and you can see the whole thing happening on site; the rows of trees, the press, the barrels. This is cider the way it’s meant to be made: whole fruit, pressed, given time. No concentrate, no shortcuts. Walk the orchard rows on a sunny day and it’s obvious why the cider tastes the way it does.
They’ve got a genuinely fantastic range, too. Whatever a venue’s after; something dry and traditional, something easy and cloudy, something with a bit of character — there’s a Dorset Nectar in the list that fits.
Family, like us
The thing I like most about Dorset Nectar is that they run it the same way we do, as a family. I saw Christian when I dropped in last week, and I regularly bump into the rest of the family out and about. When you deal with them, you’re dealing with the people whose name is on the barrel. We know exactly what that’s like, and it’s a big part of why the two businesses have got on so well for so long.
A cider barn worth the trip
If you’ve not been, they’ve opened a cider barn and café right by the orchard, and it’s stunning, a beautiful new build sitting among the apple trees. You can taste the range where it’s made, grab something to eat, and they’ve even got camping on site. I’ll be honest, we’re now actively looking for an excuse to get down there properly, pitch up, and work our way through a few of their ciders in the evening sun. Purely for research, obviously.
Get it on your bar
The good news for venues: the full Dorset Nectar range is available through Fetch The Drinks and on our trade portal, so it lands on the same delivery as everything else you order from us. We also stock some of their ciders in keykeg, which makes them easy to put on for any site that wants them pouring behind the bar.
If you run a pub, bar or festival and fancy a genuinely local, genuinely organic cider from a family who’ve been doing it properly for years, this is a great place to start.
[BROWSE THE RANGE ON THE TRADE PORTAL →]
One of our oldest producers, one of our favourites, and about a twenty-minute drive down some heroically narrow lanes. Go and visit – just maybe not in a van.
