MANY have sampled their produce over the summer months, so reporter HAYLEY MILLS headed to Blaengawney Farm near Hafodyrynys to find out just how its cider is made.

MIDWAY through the apple pressing season, I joined Andy Hallett on his farm.

Stepping into what looked like a standard barn I was surprised by the equipment - huge fermentation tanks and a press that was working away.

As Andy’s new apprentice, I was to shovel the delivered apples that are all grown on Welsh farm that sat in a pile onto a grading screen.

He showed me how to judge if an apple was to be pushed into the washing mill or thrown onto the waste heap.

Andy, 49, explained that between September and November he will be doing this task seven days a week for up to 16 hours a day.

In 2013 he will be milling approximately 80 tonnes of apples and four tonnes of pears to create perry.

We sorted through, throwing any that were brown and soft to squeeze onto the heap.

The rest were pushing into the mill that washed them with water and dropped them into the press.

The press pushed them into a pulp that resembled baby food.

This was then squeezed further to get all of the juice out.

The juice was then pushed through tubs and poured into a fermentation tank.

Here it will stay for one to five months while the C02 escapes and the alcohol is produced from the natural yeast in the fruit.

During this time, Andy will continually be testing the specific gravity of the juice, which in turn will tell him the potential alcohol level.

He will also test the acidity and flavour and will blend different juices to create the desired taste.

He showed me how he tests the levels in a small office space create in the barn.

It is here where all the paper work is kept.

Each tank has its own number so everything can be traced from start to finish of the process when it ends up in your glass.

Andy said that as it is a small to medium size business and he produces 50,000 litres of cider a year.

He said: “I want to keep it to this size as I don’t want to lose the heart and soul of the business.”

Andy explained that for 25 years he was a mechanical and electrical engineer and that cider making started as a hobby.

He said: “It’s a hobby that got out of control as people began to like it and we started to win awards.”

It all started, nine years ago when Andy and a friend decided to make home-made cider.

They purchase a hand cranked mill and made a press and they produced 120 litres from one tonne of apples.

He said: “The cider was all right and it continued from there.

“The improvement to what I created came from learning more about blending.”

Four years ago, after originally only producing cider for family and friends, he started to market it at fairs.

Then two years ago, Andy decided to do it as a business.

His wife Annie fully supported his venture, and now she does the commercial side of the business, such as sales and accounts.

He said: “To set this up it cost in excess of £100,000, and the business looks to be profitable next year.”

Andy explained that his preference in cider is very dry, but the general public prefer a medium to medium-sweet cider, so he tries to retain as much of the natural sweetness as possible in his blend.

The couple continue to grow the business and develop a name for themselves having appeared at Cardiff International Food and Drink Festival, The Big Cheese Festival in Caerphilly, The Vale of Glamorgan Country Show, Abergavenny Food Festival and The Green Man Festival.

They produce seven draft ciders, which includes National Treasure, a sweet cider which is made from a blend of cider apples and sweetened by keeved cider. Keeving is a French method of producing very sweet juice and not many cider makers in the UK go to the trouble of doing this.

Also Blindfold, this is a medium cider which has an intense fruit flavour with a citrus sharp finish. It’s made with a blend of cider apples and is very popular.

Also Heartbreaker which is a dry cider which is a traditional dry with a smooth finish and proves to be very popular with seasoned cider drinkers.

They also produce one bottled cider, Hallets, which is medium and slightly sparkling. It’s made with a blend of vintage cider and new juice which produces an intense flavour.

This won a True Taste of Wales award in 2011 and continues to be a very popular.

They also have Blaengawney Perry and a number of limited edition ciders available at different times.

Andy explained that his working year consists of having January off, February to March is blending and finishing the product, March to September is packaging and hitting the festivals, and September to November is back to sorting through apples and pressing the fruit.

He said that the company’s biggest fan bases are in London, Manchester and Brighton.

He said: “Our problem is that we can’t supply enough for the demand, we are always selling out- so it’s a good position to be in.”

Andy had to put a lot of effort into training his palette to taste cider and even went to a cider academy to improve his cider making skills.

He said: “I hope to do this for the rest of my life.”

I was inspired by what I saw at the farm, but as for leaving with dreams of starting my own cider business, I think I will leave that to the experts.

For more information visit www.blaengawneycider.co.uk