Hawkes’ Annual Apple Donors Drive to Turn a Double Decker Bus Worth of Waste Apples into Cider This Autumn
- Apples are the nation’s most wasted fruit, with 800,000 whole apples – equivalent to 100,000 pints of cider – thrown away in UK homes every single day
- Hawkes launches eighth annual Apple Donors Campaign in collaboration with The Orchard Project
- This year’s harvest drive for apple donations will save over 150,000 ‘waste’ apples
- Donors will receive a free Hawkes cider for every three kilos of apples donated
Hawkes, London’s first urban cidery turning unloved, ‘wonky’, or surplus apples into delicious real-apple cider, continues its annual drive to turn vast amounts of otherwise ‘waste’ apples into planet-friendly cidery goodness.
The cidermaker’s annual Apple Donors campaign, in collaboration with The Orchard Project – the only national charity dedicated solely to the creation, restoration and celebration of community orchards – will run from 1 September 2022 for six weeks. Donors from around London, the South East and beyond, will deliver surplus stock from orchards, apples that have fallen from trees in the garden, or even those that might be on the turn in the fruit bowl, to be turned into cider.
Hawkes’ annual harvest drive for apple donations shines a light on the UK food shortage and provides a solution that goes some way to addressing the vast amounts of apples – 800,000 a day or 41.6 million every year[1] – that go to waste.
Having saved 130,000 (twelve tonnes) of ‘waste’ apples in 2021, including seven tonnes of apples from urban orchards in London and the South East, donated by The Orchard Project, and a running total of 60 tonnes worth of apples over the past seven years, Hawkes hopes to salvage a further twelve tonnes of apples in 2022.
Anyone can support this very worthy cause, and for every three kilograms of apples donated, Hawkes will offer a free pint of its delicious real-apple cider. Becoming part of a special community, Apple Donors will also benefit from a lifetime discount at the Hawkes Taproom and will have access to exclusive events, including secret cider tastings.
Any type of apple goes – no matter the shape, size or variety. So as soon as the apples start to fall naturally, get the kids collecting from the bottom of the garden, inform neighbours with apple trees, or even go foraging… Got 12 kilos? Enjoy four free ciders!
Donations can be delivered to one of Hawkes’ four compass-point donation hubs in the capital; The Heathcote & Star pub in East London (E11 4EA), The Arnos Arms in North London (N11 1AN), a soon-to-be-announced West London pub partner, and the Hawkes Bermondsey based Cidery & Taproom in the South of the capital (SE1 2HQ).
For anyone across the UK unable to visit the London hubs during the six-week harvest campaign, apples can be packaged up and sent to the Hawkes Cidery & Taproom via post, addressed to: Apple Donors, Hawkes Cidery & Taproom, 86-92 Druid St, London SE1 2HQ.[2]
“With the support of donors across the country,” says Elliot Allison, Hawkes’ General Manager, “we are hoping to save a double decker bus worth of apples from going to waste this harvest season.”
“Climate action NGO, WRAP, has confirmed to us this summer that as many as 800,000 apples are thrown away every single day from UK homes. That’s too huge to ignore and currently faced with a food shortage in Britain, we simply cannot waste what we have. It’s not environmentally viable and it’s disrespectful to growers and to those working in the supply chain industry.”
“We’re convinced that everyone knows someone in their circle who has an apple tree that’s not being used to its full potential. Most of us manage a token apple pie come autumn but leave the rest of the fruit to rot. So, this year we’re asking people to spread the word about our apple donor drive to prove what we call the ‘two degrees of apple trees theory’ and join us on our mission to save delicious apples from across the UK going to waste by turning them into pints of refreshing cider.
“Those delivering to one of our donation hubs or sending surplus apples to the Taproom will not only benefit from free ciders, discounts and exclusive events, but they’ll know that they’ve done their bit to help the massive food waste issue in the UK.”
To celebrate the campaign this year, Hawkes will host the inaugural #AppleDonorFest event at its Cidery & Taproom, taking place from the 8-11 September.
All of Hawkes core cider is made using discarded, “wonky” supermarket fruit – too big or small for the shelves, but perfect for juicing. The annual Apple Donors harvest campaign was launched in 2015 to help Brits discard of surplus supplies sustainably and allowing them to play their part in reducing apple waste every autumn.
Using only natural ingredients and never apple concentrate, Hawkes takes a modern approach to cider production, offering vibrant, fresh and flavourful products, with quality, personality and sustainability at the core of every drop.
To find out more about Hawkes and the Apple Donor Campaign, visit wearehawkes.com.
ENDS
Notes to Editors.
- Elliot is available for comment or interview to discuss the topics of the national apple waste issue, about Hawkes’ mission to save the nation’s most wasted fruit, about it’s delicious real-apple, wonky-fruit ciders and/or about the current cider scene/industry.
- We can facilitate visits to the Hawkes Cidery & Taproom for a meeting with Elliot, a Cidery tour, Hawkes cider flight, and/or to witness the pressing process.
- We can also provide Hawkes cider samples for review or inclusion in features.
- The Hawkes Cidery & Taproom is available as a space for filming media or corporate content
About Hawkes.
Founded in 2013, Bermondsey-based Hawkes is London’s first urban cidery, turning unloved, ‘wonky’, or surplus apples, which are too big or small for the shelves but perfect for juicing, into delicious real-apple cider.
Using only natural ingredients and never apple concentrate, Hawkes currently produces three core real-apple ciders: The vibrant, fresh and bright, Urban Orchard (4.5. ABV); juicy, sharp and lush, Dead & Berried (4.0% ABV); and tropical, zingy and offbeat, Pineapple Punch (4.0% ABV).
Hawkes collaborates annually with The Orchard Project – the only national charity dedicated to the creation, restoration and celebration of community orchards – to collect surplus orchard apples, allowing the cidery to turn vast amounts of otherwise waste fruit into planet-friendly cider every autumn. In addition to stocks from The Orchard Project, Hawkes’ Apple Donors initiative brings in donations from all over the UK. In 2021 alone, the annual apple drive saw the cidery save over 130,000 – or 12 tonnes – of apples from going to waste.
Hawkes was acquired by craft beer giant, BrewDog, in 2018. It is available to enjoy by the pint or can in all BrewDog bars nationally, in a number of Independent London pubs and pub groups around the UK, and at Hawkes’ Bermondsey-based railway arch Cidery & Taproom. You can also enjoy Hawkes in your own home; Pineapple Punch and Dead & Berried are stocked in 150 Sainsbury’s stores across London and key UK cities, and packs of all Hawkes’ core ciders are available to buy via the Hawkes online shop wearehawkes.com.
Press release from Rooster.
For further information, please contact Francesca Colombo, Elsa Findlay and Julie Aguilera Kemp via Hawkes@rooster.co.uk.