H.P. Bulmer is a brewing company founded in 1887 in Hereford, England. The founder was Percy Bulmer, the twenty-year-old son of the local rector at Credenhill. He is said to have taken his mother's advice to make a career in food or drink, "because neither ever go out of fashion".[1] The company's two principal brands are its own Bulmers cider, which is sold worldwide, and Strongbow, which is sold across Europe, the US, Australasia and the Far East. The company is owned by Heineken International.
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Using apples from the orchard at his father's rectory and an old stone press on the farm next door, Bulmer made the first cider, upon which the family fortune would be made. Today HP Bulmer makes 65% of the five hundred million litres of cider sold annually in the United Kingdom and the bulk of the UK's cider exports. [2]
In 1887 his elder brother Fred, coming down from King's College, Cambridge, turned down the offer of a post as tutor to the children of the King of Siam to join Percy in his fledgling cider business.
With a £1,760 loan from their father, the brothers bought an 8 acres (3.2 ha) field just outside the city and built their first cider mill. It was little more than a shack compared to the huge modern stainless-steel computer-controlled cider-making plant that has grown up on a 75 acres (30.4 ha) site nearby.
Cider making in those early days was a hit or miss affair, the fermentation being achieved by the wild yeast in the apple, and more often than not the cider turned sour. It was a college friend of Fred's, Dr. Herbert Durham, who, in the 1890s, isolated the wild yeast to create the first pure cider yeast culture, which would ensure that fermentations were consistent. This was the start of commercial cider making.
Bulmers was first granted the Royal Warrant in 1911 and continues today as 'Cider Maker to Her Majesty the Queen'.
The company was independent until 2003, when, having run into financial problems, it was taken over by brewing giant Scottish and Newcastle, which in turn was taken over by Heineken and Carlsberg in 2008. Its Australia and New Zealand business, meanwhile, was sold to Australian brewer Foster's.
During the spring of 2006, the company relaunched Bulmers Original in the UK, a premium packaged cider aimed at the "served over ice" market, which has grown in popularity over the last few years. Bulmers Original is a 4.5% ABV cider and is primarily sold in pint bottles (568 ml) but also on draught, in 1 litre bottles and 500ml can. In November 2007 the Bulmers range was joined by Bulmers Pear cider and in Spring 2008 by Bulmers Light, which is the same ABV as the Original but with 30% fewer calories however this was delisted a year later.
Amongst the other brands produced by Bulmers is Jacques which is a 5.5% ABV cider . This is available in Fruit De Bois (cider with cherry, raspberry and blackcurrant flavours) and Jacques Orchard Fruits launched in Summer 2008.
In Summer 2010, a limited edition version of Bulmers was made, combining both apple and pear flavours in one and named 'Summer Blend'.
In Autumn 2010, another limited edition version of Bulmers was created, made using specially selected red Katy Apples which are allowed to fully ripen in the orchards before harvesting, and named "Red Apple".[3]
In the Summer of 2011, Bulmer's released the limited edition "Crisp Blend" which is made from sharper tasting apples, delivering a crisp and slightly drier flavour than the Original. [4]
In the same summer, Bulmers rebranded themselves with a new look and new bottles. In reference to the Bulmers naming tradition dating back to the early 1900's (at the time these were Bulmers 1 through to 8) they also number-coded the different varieties with Original as "№9", Pear as "№10" and Crisp Blend as "№15". At the same time a new flavour was brought out, named "№17", which is made with the addition of crushed red berries and lime.