Cider company devastated by fire
An award-winning cider making company at Bobbington, near Wolverhampton, has had its production barn destroyed in a blaze.
The cider barn was badly damaged in a fire that broke out at Halfpenny Green Cider Company's site and orchard off Crab Lane opposite Halfpenny Green Airport on Thursday.
Four fire engines attended the fire in the metal barn housing the cider tanks.
The fire, started by an electrical fault, has left the company without any production equipment. The tanks may be salvageable.
Owner Tony Lovering, aged 59, has launched a crowdfunding campaign on www.crowdfunder.co.uk to try and raise £30,000 to re-build the business. By yesterday £735 had been raised through people pledging money to buy bottles of cider produced once the firm is back up and running and to go on cider making courses run by the company.
Mr Lovering, an engineer who lives in Dark Lane, Kinver, started the cider company last year after being made redundant.
The idea behind the company is to make 100 per cent juice craft cider.
He developed a system to make naturally sparkling cider in champagne style bottles and made four distinct styles, including prosecco style and champagne style ciders.
"The processes I developed, apart from the champenoise method, are unique to the Halfpenny Green Cider Company and I was trying to promote cider as a luxury beverage and an alternative to the low quality, cheap prosecco flooding the UK markets," explained Mr Lovering.
This year has been his first year of trading and the first commercial cider he made Florin, a keeved naturally sweet bottle conditioned cider won gold in the UK premier cider competition at The Royal Bath and West Show in Somerset.
"I think that the processes and products I have developed are important to help change the perception of cider in the market and to help develop a home grown alternative to cheap, low quality prosecco so I intend to start all over and rebuild the company," said Mr Lovering, who has found that his insurance does not cover the damage.
He hopes to be back up and running soon with the help of supporters.
