3CCPA

Competition season is fast approaching and we’re delighted to say that entries for this year’s Royal Three Counties Summer Show International Cider Championship are now open !! Judging will take place on Friday 12th June and entry forms are now available via our website: tccpa.co.uk We’ve got a fantastic line up of judges who we’ll introduce in due course. We can’t wait to see this year’s wonderful entries! 📸: @rebeccaeleanorf ❤️

We are delighted to introduce the third and final of this years’ Jean Nowell Bursary recipients - Matt Smith @forestedgelandscapeservices , who has just started a new position at Little Pomona! Matt will be using his bursary to go towards funding some DNA fingerprinting for veteran perry pear trees local to where he lives. We asked Matt what the bursary meant to him and he said the following: “I live close to the Herefordshire, Gloucestershire border and fragments of the once plentiful apple and pear orchards remain, but they are in a perilous condition, of seemingly little value to the landowners and succumbing to neglect. My particular passion is perry pear trees and over the last 12 months I have carried out an extensive survey of the local area and recorded the location of veteran perry pear trees. There are large numbers of trees that are chance seedlings of no particular merit or trees where the rootstock has superseded the original variety, but I will primarily be targeting trees that have been intentionally grafted. In some instances it has been possible to identify specific varieties of pear through consultation of reference books and submission of pear samples to Jim Chapman. However, some magnificent trees which in 2025 yielded large quantities of good quality pears for perry making, remain unidentified. I am delighted to have been awarded a Jean Nowell bursary and the money will be used to DNA fingerprint veteran perry pear trees in orchards local to where I live. Characterisation of the trees, alongside the making of perry will demonstrate to the land owners that they are of value and worthy of protection. The results of the DNA fingerprinting should be available in December of this year and I will report back to the TCCPA with the findings. “ Congratulations, Matt, we can’t wait to see the results of this project in the months to come!

HAPPY BRITISH CIDER WEEK 🥳 Every week is cider week as far as the TCCPA are concerned but we’re so looking forward to a dedicated week in the British calendar to celebrate all things cider! What will you be doing to celebrate British Cider Week over the next few days? #britishciderweek

We are delighted to introduce the next of this years’ Jean Nowell Bursary recipients - Geoff Newman @chibling_along of Chiblers Cider and Perry! Geoff will be using his bursary to go towards the purchase of a Tenco Bottle Filler. As Geoff said in his application: “The Tenco bench top bottle filler system will allow me to draw up product from small batch (200L) barrels and bottle this efficiently to create a premium product from the local, rare and unusual perry pears and cider apples found locally in traditional orchards. Doing small batches allows me to experiment with single varieties and unusual blends. I am inspired to make products that showcase and value these beautiful traditional orchards and their wildlife. I have planted a traditional orchard of over a hectare at home stocked with local traditional varieties I have grafted myself. The bottle filler will allow me the first step in producing a consistent quality product. I will also need to upgrade my premises (as advised by environmental health) to sell bottled product. Upgrading will include a new water supply, flooring and sealing of walls and doors to hygiene standards. This bursary for the bottle filler will be a small but essential part of this new step up.” We asked Geoff what the bursary meant to him and he said the following: “I am honoured to recieve a Jean Nowell Bursary. This award will help me fulfill my dream of producing cider and perry from my own orchard and turn it into a bottled product from my own cidery. Transforming my best draught product into a home bottled product. From graft to bottle over a period of 18 years. Finally coming of age! Thank you so much! “ Congratulations, Geoff, we can’t wait to see how this next step of your cider and perry production develops!

We are delighted to introduce the first of this years’ Jean Nowell Bursary recipients - Jonathan Thomas of @meggys_cyder Jonathan will be using his bursary to go towards the purchase of several Welsh variety Perry pear trees, an endeavour the TCCPA is thrilled to be supporting. We asked Jonathan what the bursary meant to him and he said the following: “I’ve been making cider for approximately 4 years now and made my first perries in the 2025 harvest after a number of requests at local markets. I did a bit of a deep dive into perry, as I was really quite ignorant of it, and quickly realised that Monmouthshire has a rich history of perry-making. I managed to do some detective work and found a number of individual trees locally, as well as a small orchard, but none of them (I believe) are native perry pears. I was lucky enough to attend a cider club at Ross Cider where, amongst other inspirational things, Kevin Minchew talked about how he felt it was his ‘cultural responsibility’ to make perry from otherwise untouched fruit. It resonated with me and has stuck with me through many parts of running my business, but particularly in this instance where there is an opportunity to restore a Monmouthshire orchard with Monmouthshire varieties. After chatting to one of the orchard owners it was clear that we were on the same wavelength and he had already planned on adding some trees so applying for the bursary was the natural next step. We will likely add some of our own investment to take the restoration a bit further. I believe that this will not only provide an authentic local product, but will widen the profile of perry as a whole by increasing the number of varieties on offer.

let’s show some love for @baginboxuk and @keykeg_official our wonderful headline sponsors for this years CraftCon! Give them a follow if you’re not already! we are so grateful for all the support we receive for this event and the enthusiasm, knowledge and passion they bring makes the conference. what a brilliant, beautiful community we have!

A big thank you to @stainlesssteelproductsltd for being one of our brilliant sponsors for CraftCon this year. It was fantastic to have them, and their very shiny tank!, as part of the event last month. Please give them a follow on instagram if you’ve not already, and get in touch for all your high quality, bespoke stainless steel needs! ❤️ 📸: @dylan_side_byrnes

This years CraftCon saw the awarding of the annual ‘Susanna Forbes award for outstanding contribution to cider culture ‘ which the TCCPA launched in 2025 to pay tribute to the amazing legacy of Susanna Forbes (Little Pomona, Imbibe) who very sadly passed away in 2024. This year’s winner was the esteemed author of the book ‘Cider Country’, James Crowden and we cannot think of a better advocate for the wonderful world of cjder than James with all his intellect, enthusiasm and passion for the drink. James said “I was bowled over when I heard that I had won the 2026 Susanna Forbes [award] … Cider culture is so important and being able to research and articulate that culture and history for others to appreciate is what it is all about.” Wassail, James!

wow! a HUGE thank you to everyone who made this years CraftCon the biggest and best yet! To all of our sponsors, speakers, organisers, venue team & delegates, our love and appreciation of you knows no bounds. CraftCon is a testament to the people and the community who form it, and what better community is there than the cider one?! We’re already planning for 2027, see you there? 📸: @dylan_side_byrnes 🫡

The officials photos from Craft Con 2026 by Dylan Bryne has been released. Here are some of our favourites. #CiderEvents #CiderCommunity #CiderProfessionals #CiderConference= #CiderWorld

A great few days at #craftcon26 ! A huge array of seminars to stretch the mind and palate; from sensory analysis to protecting the incredible habitats that orchards offer. One of the most remarkable things about @3ccpa is how they connect our community. Cider lovers from all over the globe gather to share their love of orchards, their fruit and the fermentations that create such a wondrous range of cider and Perry. New makers and new appreciators sit alongside folk who've been soaking up the joys of these drinks for decades and more - everyone's welcomed and bottles are shared with delight! I can't possibly show all the magnificent drinks I was lucky enough to try (several blurred photos after 180 folk shared 360 bottles of cider during the cider share session!), or all the amazing makers I chatted with... if you haven't been before, it's a 'must go' to truly experience the UK's real, craft cider scene. #cider #perry #cidercommunity #3ccpa

Some highlights from two days of learning and drinking cider at the amazing 2026 CraftCon. All expertly organised by @3ccpa . . . . #ciderlover #learningisfun #drinkcider #britishproduce #drinkbetter