H. P. Bulmer facts for kids
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Alcoholic beverages |
| Founded | 1887 |
| Founder | H. P. Bulmer |
| Headquarters | London, England |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
| Products | Cider |
| Owner | Heineken N.V. |
H P Bulmer Limited, known simply as Bulmers, is a company that makes cider. It was started in 1887 in Hereford, England.
Bulmers makes popular drinks from apples. Their main brands are Bulmers cider and Strongbow. Bulmers cider is sold all over the world. Strongbow is popular in Europe, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and East Asia. The company is now owned by Heineken N.V.. Bulmers makes a large amount of the cider sold in the United Kingdom. They also make most of the cider that the UK sends to other countries. Their main competitor is the Irish C&C Group with its Magners brand.
Contents
History of Bulmers
How Bulmers Started
The company was founded by Henry Percival "Percy" Bulmer. He was 20 years old at the time. His mother told him to work in food or drinks. She said these things "never go out of fashion."
Percy used apples from his father's orchard. He also used an old stone press on a nearby farm. With these, he made the first cider. This was the start of the family's success.
In 1889, Percy's older brother, Fred, joined the business. Fred had just finished studying at King's College, Cambridge. He turned down a job offer to teach the children of the King of Siam.
The brothers borrowed £1,760 from their father. They bought a field that was about 8 acres (3.2 hectares) big. There, they built their first cider mill. It was a small barn compared to their huge modern factory today. The current factory is on a 75-acre (30-hectare) site.
Making cider used to be tricky. The natural process of fermentation happened because of yeast in the apples. This often made the cider taste sour. In the 1890s, a friend of Fred's, Dr. Herbert Durham, found a special yeast. He used it to create the first pure cider yeast. This made sure the cider always tasted good. This was a big step for making cider on a large scale.
Bulmers received a special honor in 1911. They were given the Royal Warrant. This means they are an official supplier to the British Royal Family. They still hold this honor today, supplying cider to His Majesty the King. The company officially became a private company on June 27, 1918. They called their cider "The White Wine of England."
Percy Bulmer passed away in 1919 when he was 52 years old.
The Strongbow brand was introduced in 1960.
Bulmers Becomes a Public Company
In 1970, Bulmers offered shares of its company to the public. This meant people could buy parts of the company on the Stock Exchange. At this time, Bulmers was the biggest cider maker in the world.
Bulmers in the 21st Century
In 2003, another company called Scottish & Newcastle (S&N) bought Bulmers. They paid £278 million for it. About 200 jobs were lost at Bulmers at first. In 2008, the Heineken group bought S&N for £7.8 billion. Bulmers is now mainly a brand name. Its operations in Hereford are smaller, mostly just making cider. More jobs were lost in 2008 when bottling stopped at the Hereford site. However, Heineken promised to invest about £7.5 million in the site. This included adding a second canning line by 2011.
In 2006, Bulmers relaunched its Bulmers Original drink in the UK. This was a special cider meant to be served over ice. This way of drinking cider became very popular. Bulmers Original is usually sold in pint (568 ml) bottles. It is also available on tap, in 1-liter bottles, and in 500 ml cans. In 2007, Bulmers Pear cider was added to the range. In 2008, Bulmers Light was launched. It had fewer calories but was later stopped.
Bulmers also makes other brands. One is Jacques, a cider with fruit flavors. It comes in Fruit De Bois, which has cherry, raspberry, and blackcurrant flavors. Jacques Orchard Fruits was launched in 2008.
In 2010, Bulmers made a special Summer Blend. It mixed apple and pear flavors. Another special edition was Red Apple. This was made from red Katy Apples that ripened fully in the orchards.
In 2011, Bulmers released the Crisp Blend. This was made from sharper apples. It had a crisp and slightly drier taste than the Original. Bulmers also updated its look and bottles.
Bulmers has a tradition of numbering its different drinks. This started in the early 1900s. Original is No.9, Pear is No.10, and Crisp Blend is No.15. No.17, Red Berry and Lime, was also introduced.
As of 2022, the main Bulmers brand is not as popular as it once was. Only the Original and Red Berry and Lime flavors are widely available in the UK.
Where Bulmers Gets Its Apples
The apples used for Bulmers cider come from England and France. In 2014, it was reported that Bulmers gets 90 percent of its apples from orchards in Herefordshire, England.
Bulmers Brands
Bulmers makes many different brands of cider, including:
- Bulmers
- Strongbow
- Scrumpy Jack
- Woodpecker Cider
- Inch's
- Orchard Thieves
- Orchard Pig
- Jacques Cider with fruit
- Old Mout Cider
- Pomagne
- Blind Pig, which are ciders with whiskey- and rum-like flavors
See also
- List of cider brands
