US brewing giant Molson Coors has bought Aspall, the British cider brand founded in Suffolk in 1728, for an undisclosed amount.
Molson Coors said it aims to develop Aspall into the UK's top-selling premium cider brand.
The UK currently accounts for almost half of the global cider market, according to the National Association of Cider Makers.
The Chevallier family, who have been brewing cider at Aspall Hall in Suffolk for almost 300 years, will continue to play a role in the company’s future, Molson Coors said in a statement. The company said Aspall would remain a “cornerstone of the surrounding community” in Suffolk.
The firm will also acquire Aspall’s organic cider vinegar range, which it says is made using a fermentation process that is the only one of its kind it claims is unique in the world.
Barry Chevallier Guild, chairman of Aspall, said: “There is a real opportunity to elevate and grow the status of English cider in the UK and abroad both as a beverage and as an excellent partner for food.
“We believe that Molson Coors investment will provide the catalyst to grow Aspall and build the recognition for quality cider worldwide.”
The total UK’s cider market value grew by more than a quarter between 2010 and 2015 and is projected to continue that growth until 2020, according to data from Nielsen.
Molson Coors makes a number of well-known drinks brands, including Miller and Britain’s best-selling beer, Carling. The company operates three UK breweries at Burton-upon-Trent, Tadcaster and Burtonwood, as well as one in Cork, Ireland.
It bought Cornwall-based Sharp’s brewery for £20m in 2011.
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