"While hard cider is becoming more popular in the U.S., our company is increasingly focused on wine and spirits which is why we made the decision to sell," said Peter Abate, Vice President and General Manager of the Value and Spirits business units of E. & J. Gallo Winery. He added, "Hornsby's is a good strategic fit for C&C as the U.S. hard cider market appears primed for expansion."
C&C Group plc is a leading manufacturer, marketer and distributor of branded beverages in Ireland and the UK. C&C manufactures Bulmers, the leading Irish cider brand, Magners, the premium international cider brand, the Gaymer Cider Company range of branded and private label ciders, and the Tennent's beer brand. The Group also distributes a number of beer brands in the Scottish, Irish and Northern Irish markets, primarily for Anheuser-Busch InBev. Visit www.candcgroupplc.ie
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Woodchuck Hard Cider is a brand of hard cider produced by the Vermont Hard Cider Company, LLC, in Middlebury, Vermont.[1][2] In 2011 it was the top-selling hard cider in the United States,[3] capturing approximately 47% of the hard cider market in the country.[4]
Woodchuck was founded at The Joseph Cerniglia Winery in Proctorsville, Vermont, in 1991[5] by Joe Cerniglia and Barry Blake, along with wine maker Greg Failing.[6] While cider production began in Cerniglia's winery, by 1996 the company was producing 400,000 cases of product per year, necessitating a move to a cidery in Springfield, Vermont.
In 2000, Woodchuck moved to its current production facility in Middlebury, Vermont, and by 2007 had become the first cider company in the nation to sell one million cases in one year.[7] In 2012, Woodchuck Hard Cider was purchased by Irish beverage company C&C Group.[8]
Woodchuck currently offers ten core styles available in either bottles or cans, with the option to purchase a variety pack that comes with a combination of flavors. The company also offers a low calorie variety pack containing four fruit-flavored ciders, as well as a single cider in the company's 802 Collection, a product line that focuses on using solely Vermont-sourced apples at all levels of productions.[11]
Beginning in 2008, Woodchuck released multiple limited-edition products that corresponded with the time of year. In 2018, the seasonal releases were scrapped as Woodchuck unveiled the Tank Series, a line of limited-release ciders that would enter the market for roughly four months before being replaced with a new product.
Woodchuck's Private Reserve line was first unveiled in 2010 with the launch of Private Reserve Pumpkin, a hard cider which they claimed to be the world's first pumpkin cider.[16] Other releases include the Private Reserve Barrel Select, a product aged for six months in oak bourbon barrels along with a Woodchuck Belgian White, a cider that's produced using Belgian beer yeast.[17][18]
The american thirst for cider continues to grow. According to Impact Databank, which tracks alcohol industry data, the top 10 cider brands in the U.S. as a whole grew by 62% in 2012. These figures have definitely caught the eye of the major Beer companies.
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