Core blimey as cider firm gets grant

You see Saxby’s Cider, based at Irchester near Wellingborough, is riding high on the current popularity of the fruity booze and now, thanks to a grant of £7.5k which he’s set to receive from FEAST (Food Enterprise Advisory Support Team), a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund aimed at supporting eligible food and drink manufacturers in the South Midlands area, Phil’s hoping to step-up production across his seven-cider range and beat the Somerset big boys at their own game!

“We’re absolutely delighted that we’ve been able to access this money because we can now buy some new fermentation tanks which means we’ll be able to increase our output and have greater quality control on the final product” explained Phil.

“In fact it’s very timely for the business because our new session cider, named simply ‘3.9’ to reflect its reduced ABV, has just gone on sale and now that the sun is finally shining, we’re fully expecting a rush on sales!” he added.

FEAST, which is worth £7.1 million in total, and which will receive £3.5 million funding from the European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020, is being led by The Mallows Company, and is supported by Moulton College, the University of Northampton and Central Bedfordshire Council.

The company also operates the successful Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards as well as Made In Northamptonshire (MIN), a networking group for producers, local food stockists and eateries and its Managing Director, Rachel Mallows, says she’s delighted to see the full impact of FEAST funding in action:

“The project has only been running for a few months but already it’s great to see so many manufacturers take advantage of the support that’s on offer, whether that’s a pot of money, as Saxby’s has done, or accessing technical expertise, apprenticeships or mentoring” explained Rachel.

“And the best thing about the scheme is not only that the support is free to eligible businesses, but also my team are on hand to help make the whole process as simple as possible, so I’d urge food and drink businesses who are considering any capital projects to get in touch and see how they could benefit” she enthused.

For more details of FEAST, including registering your business for the free project, or further information about MIN, please contact Anna at The Mallows Company on 01933 664437 or email [email protected]Meanwhile for more information about Saxby’s Cider, visit www.saxbyscider.co.uk or call Phil on 07966 558186.