Corporate Social Responsibility

We are a responsible business that seeks to uphold the highest standards in all areas of operation. We work towards being a more sustainable organisation and understand our responsibilities towards the communities where we have a presence, as an employer, as a producer of a range of drinks including alcohol, and in our dealings with suppliers and customers.

We adhere to both the spirit and detail of the regulation and guidance that is relevant to what to do.

Trade Associations
We are a member of the PORTMAN GROUP and an active supporter of drinkaware and their campaigns.
We are  members of the National Association of Cider Makers (NACM), the British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA), Campden BRI, The Society of Food Hygiene and Technology and we are also SEDEX (Supplier Ethical Data Exchange) members and supporters of Stronger Together.

Process and production quality
We are proud of the quality of our production standards and achieve the highest standards of accreditation in our industry – including BRC GS ‘AA*’ status at our production sites and 'AA' status at our pressing facility. No other UK producer can match this performance.

Local Agriculture
In 2013 we started a scheme to plant a further 1,000 acres of new orchards to supplement the existing hundreds of acres we manage at Malvern. Our commitment to the growers means we have offered them 25-year contracts. The new orchards help to secure our supply of quality apples for decades to come and further improve our carbon footprint - a key feature of our work to be more sustainable.

Modern Slavery Act
Aston Manor are fully committed to complying with the Modern Slavery Act 2015. For details of our statement of compliance please Click to view the Aston Manor Cider Statement of Compliance - Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Equality
Furthermore, at Aston Manor we operate an equal opportunity and equal remuneration policy, click here to view our Gender Pay Gap Report

Chief Medical Officers Guidelines
Aston Manor is committed to consumers being appropriately informed. As a result, all of our product labels indicate the number of units of alcohol per container along with number of units per typical serving. The Drinkaware website is noted as is a pregnancy statement and logo, and a no driving logo. 

UK Alcohol Unit Guidance
The Chief Medical Officer's (CMOs) guidelines are extremely detailed and encompass numerous messages to keep health risks from alcohol to a low level. The UK CMOs advise it is safest not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis. The CMOs also give guidance on drinking in pregnancy and single occasion drinking.
The Chief Medical Officers' Low Risk Drinking Guidelines are available online here.

Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP)
AMC opinion: Aston Manor Cider believes MUP is a flawed approach that will not have the desired outcome of reducing alcohol misuse. It also underestimates how much moderate and responsible drinkers will be out of pocket. The distortion to the market and the fact that consumers operate a repertoire of drinks will prompt very many people to switch to higher strength drinks.
The facts: As the scale of the impact of MUP is, in our view, not widely understood, we have invested significantly in independent research and actual market data. This has enabled us to get a detailed understanding of both the intended and unintended consequences of MUP.

After the first year of MUP in Scotland we did a very detailed analysis of take-home (off-trade) sales in Scotland compared with the rest of the UK. Based on IRI data this is the most granular study we have seen from any source. The summary data is here. What is clear is:

  • There was no reduction in the total number of units of alcohol consumed (take-home). For context, prior to MUP there was a long-term trend of declining per capita consumption
  • Consumers in Scotland are switching to different drinks more significantly than the rest of the UK. For example, the value of the sales decline in strong/white cider in Scotland is broadly the same as the increase in value of sales for two fortified wine brands and one RTD – this is not the case in England and Wales
  • Overall, consumers in Scotland paid 9.8% more for broadly the same total number of units of alcohol, represented by a 1.7% increase in volume – again, this is not seen in England and Wales.

Another detailed study was repeated at the end of 2022. The summary data is here. The same pattern of consumers switching drinks is evident. What is also clear is that consumer choice is being eroded given the reduction in own label drinks in every category other than RTDs and fortified wines – the two sectors that have increased sales (perhaps) prompted by consumers switching from drinks affected by MUP.

'White Cider' in context

  • At £68m, the ‘white cider’ category accounts for only 3.7% of total cider sales and just 0.27% of all alcohol sales
  • ‘White cider’ is also in long-term volume decline (7% down 2014-17). This means that, in the last three years alone, 40 million fewer units of alcohol have been consumed as ‘white cider’ – though they might have been replaced by consumption of higher strength wine and spirits.

You can learn more about how ‘white cider’ indexes within total alcohol sales in the following slides.

The reality of the 'white cider' consumer

  • 92% of white cider drinkers are in work and 62% are married or cohabiting 
  • 79% having an average household income of under £20K p.a.
  • Nearly two-thirds of white cider drinkers feel the media portrayal of the drink is unfair
  • When white cider consumers switch their purchases, it will often be to higher strength wine and spirits

You can learn more about the profile of an average ‘white cider’ consumer in the following slides.

The view from frontline professionals

  • 69% agree that there are not 'problem drinks' rather people who misuse alcohol and other substances prompted by a range of often complex reasons
  • 81% believe a ban on certain products simply displaces misuse
  • 55% stated that misuse would switch to another substance, 38% believe that people in crisis would just spend a great proportion of their personal resources to continue misuse

To see the full results of the survey, please download the report here.

The view from consumers (drinkers and non-drinkers)

  • 74% of people think that if a substance is made more expensive, or supply is restricted, misuse will switch or more resources will be used to sustain misuse
  • Less than one in five think it is effective to target specific drinks or introduce measures like minimum unit pricing (MUP)

To see this entire survey, including demographic breakdowns, please download the report here