Portugal Cider Micro Brewery

[phill.morris]

Hi All,

We own a small farm in Central Portugal & are looking to start a small Micro Cider / Pear brewery to sell into the local region / open a bar.

We are have the land prepared this year with a view to planting initially 50 trees, so any advice would be very much appreciated.

• What variety of  trees / blend to trees would we need ?
• Can we import trees ?
• How long before we would see fruit ?
• What equipment would we need to produce cider ?
• What would be the initial set up costs ?
• Has anyone got a business planner tool that can be used.?

Were not looking to set the world on fire with our project - just to get a little return from our land in an area that has not really experienced the world of Cider. We would estimate somewhere between 1000-5000ltrs production per year ??

Can Anyone Help us get off the ground ?

Many thanks

Phil

[greg l.]

It is possible to get into cider making on a very small budget if you intend to stay below 5000L. You can build your own scratter and press, see "the new cidermakers handbook" by Claude Joliceour, and if you plant a range of cultivars that ripen over the season one man alone can easily do a few thousand litres over a few months. For fermenting and storage you can use second hand plastic drums of 220L approx, usually blue barrels, or 1000L IBCs but I think the smaller drums give more flexibility, given you need to keep your containers full at all times. Your biggest problem in Portugal may be keeping the cider cool enough during fementation and storage.

If you have wineries nearby they are a great resource for learning the processes, white wine and cider production are very similar and winery people are usually very friendly, you may even be able to get casual work during vintage so you can learn first hand. Although cider making seems very simple there is a lot to learn.

Andrew Lea's website is also a great resource, cider.org.uk, read it and buy his book.

Greg

On Tuesday, 7 July 2015 00:24:27 UTC+10, phill.morris wrote:

Hi All,

[Dougal]

What variety of  trees / blend to trees would we need ?

That depends on what sort of cider you want to make.  I believe good cider needs tannic apples but many people like our sharper ciders with less tannin.  Your business should be demand-driven so you should do some market research to see what locals prefer. 

• Can we import trees ?

You should contact your national agricultural ministry.  I'm sure you can but there may be quarantine issues.

• How long before we would see fruit ?

Depends on the orchard management system you use.  Intensive orchard systems (e.g. Tall Spindle) can see light crops in the second year.   Less intensive systems (e.g. Vertical Axis) are years 3-4).  Standards may be 5-7 years.  You also have to be patient and ease the trees into production so they do not become heavily biennial. 

• What equipment would we need to produce cider ?

Your orchard may need posts and wire.  It will need irrigation.  You will need some way of mowing the sward and spraying.  You will need bins or crates to harvest into and harvesting equipment.  In the cidery, you will need a means to wash the fruit, mill it, transport the pomace to the press, a press, fermentation and storage vessels, pumps and hoses, lab equipment, bottling gear ... the list goes on!  Cidery equipment may vary depending upon the style of cider you intend making.

• What would be the initial set up costs ?

No idea of set-up costs in Portugal.  You might need to do some homework yourself.

 

• Has anyone got a business planner tool that can be used.?

If only it were that simple!

 

Were not looking to set the world on fire with our project - just to get a little return from our land in an area that has not really experienced the world of Cider. We would estimate somewhere between 1000-5000ltrs production per year ??

Can Anyone Help us get off the ground ?

As a final word, I suggest very strongly that you use the search function on this forum.  Many of the questions you ask have been answered many times over.

 

Many thanks

Phil

[Thomas Fehige]

Phil,

a word of caution when moving around in this list: Cider isn't brewed in a brewery (that's beer). Cider is a wine, and wine is made by a winemaker, in this case: cidermaker. I think the English word for the place where that happens is "cidery", in French "cidrerie", in Spanish "sidreria", in German "Apfelweinkeller" (things are occasionally somewhat long-winded here ;) ).

Ask your neighbours: Do people grow apples in your area? Are there certain varieties they prefer? Why? Other varieties that are said to fail or perform poorly? Why?

Cheers -- Thomas

[phill.morris]

Hi All,

Thanks for the input to date, this has been very usefully & gives us a starting point to view our 3-5-7 year project.

Phil 

[David Haysom]

Hi Phil,

I have also a small quinta here in central Portugal-Tabua and planning on planting an orchard for a micro cider set up early next year.

I've had the idea for a few years now and finally everything is coming togeather for early 2017.

I am planning on planting a variety or cultivars from Portugal, Spain and the UK to see what works best over the coming years.

Would be good to hear about your experiences so far and to exchange some information.

All the best
David

[Joe Barfield]

Has anyone had progress with their cidery in Portugal? I am in Castelo Branco district and am pursuing making cider as well. I aim to produce about 1000L this year.

I hope to hear more about the projects listed in this thread.

Joe Barfield

Penamacor Portugal

[willch...@gmail.com]

To everyone in this situation of having a small farm or small holding and wanting to produce - as a one-time farmer I would suggest another good way of getting some value out of the process might be to have some weaner pigs ready to make use of the spent pomace. Worth looking into, it breaks my heart if I haven’t got someone to pass the pomace on to for that purpose and have to compost it. Even though I only made 200l last year there was plenty!