UP CLOSE: Meet the Macclesfield apple kings behind SiDa cider
Macclesfield Nub News was created on principles of supporting our community. This includes promoting Macclesfield shops, companies, charities, clubs and sports clubs. We will be profiling some of these businesses and organisations in a regular feature called UP CLOSE, finding out what makes them tick.
Recent chats include profiling an award-winning brewery preparing to celebrate a big anniversary, and a man who has worked in almost every Co-op in Macclesfield.
Today we meet Simon Ashmore and Dave Lamb, co-founders of Macclesfield cider brand SiDa.
The company is a pun, and also combines the first two letters of their name to spell out their tipple of choice.
The former Henbury High School classmates and lifelong Macclesfield residents started their business in 2010, and is now one of the north west's best-known makers of cider.
"The business started out as Simon had built a wooden cider press in his cellar at his home in Macclesfield," said Dave.
"I had nothing better to do on a Friday night so I would go and press apples with him for fun.
"That really allowed us to learn. Then we had the chance to plant an orchard in Holmes Chapel, and we haven't looked back since.
"Even though we're coming to the end of apple season, we're really looking forward to Christmas as our gift sets are a big seller for us. Which features our three main ciders of our craft variety Maxonian Mist, Dub Dub and Holmes Chapel Apple.
"Maxonian Mist is a mix of cider apples from the Macclesfield area. We've built a huge network of orchards around Macclesfield.
"Our first ever batch was tiny, but Brian from the Waters Green Tavern in Macclesfield loved it so much, that he insisted on buying it all, and he took it with him to Stockport Beer Festival. That's how we got our break."
"This year was really good for our apples because it was red hot", said Simon.
"It was a lovely spring with no frost damage, and perfect growing weather in the summer. We had temperatures like the south west, so everybody has got lots of apples.
"They are smaller in size because of the heatwaves but they are very sweet now. A lot of the trees are falling over because of the weight of the apple.
"We have about 100 trees in our orchard, with 15-20 varieties. We grow traditional British varieties and Swedish ones as well."
"We have a mix of single and dual variety ciders now", said Dave.
"We have a few more products to launch in the coming months.
"This is because we have a large amount of Tom Putts, Katie's, Browns and Alford apples."
"It has been a good couple years," added Dave.
"Our Holmes Chapel Apple cider won CAMRA's Best in Northern England Cider 2020.
"We had our first Treacle Market stall in the spring, we're outside PR Jones on Chestergate. It is great to meet people who enjoy our cider and hear their feedback.
"We have a great relationship the Macclesfield pubs where our drinks are on tap, like RedWillow and Bollington Brewery.
"In terms of bottle shops, we are sold at The Cat and Fiddle with Forest Gin, Proper Sound who stock our cans, La Dulce Vendima on Church Street.
"Other Macclesfield customers include Bargain Booze, Aquila, The Castle, and The Picturedrome. Venues from bordering counties buy our drinks as well.
"We don't have an online shop. Because we have full time jobs, [in IT and care] it was always going to be reliant on trade, and we're very grateful to them. As we have day jobs, it is so nice we have been able to meet customers in droves this year at the Treacle Market.
"The local community built in Macclesfield feels very supportive.
"We're also quite ecologically sound. We are a low carbon operation. All our waste is fed to pigs.
"Looking forward the cost of glass has been going up during the cost of living crisis, which is quite concerning.
"We are also looking at possibly carbonating one of our ciders as a more premium product. Not many grow traditional single varieties cider apple in the north west, and we want to celebrate that.
"We've considered selling it in wine bottle size. Making cider is the same process as wine. You can view drinking cider like drinking beer, but when you get to the stronger ones, which are a similar ABV percentage to wine, you should be thinking about drinking it in more wine like qualities."
"We'd love to launch new varieties in each year to come, but you must remember we are a farm and at mercy of the weather. Sometimes you have to think on your feet in September and start creating something then," added Simon.
"We're the only employees, so we are absolutely grateful to our friends and family during apple picking season who help us out pick and press. It is an awful lot of apples."
"I think our cider is the best in the market because we are not huge, so we make it very manageable in terms of quality," concluded Dave.
"We have almost 25 years combined experience between us, and we do things properly.
"We take our time with it, plus it is all done by hand. And we are getting bloody good at it."
Macclesfield: You can follow SiDa on Facebook and Instagram.
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