Bottling it up

Cider’s future at the historic Shepton Mallet mill in Somerset is not yet completely over – as Brothers Drinks, which bought the mill’s bottling line earlier this year, is gearing up to start production on the line in September.

The £6m bottling line, which was bought from drinks giant C&C group and has never been used, sits across the road from the main site – and is now being fitted with specialist equipment from across the globe. Once it’s up and running, the bottling line, known as Line 6, has the capacity to produce a million and a half bottles a day.

Brothers Drinks specialises in pear cider and is owned by two of the Showering brothers – from the eminent cider-making family. One of the brothers, Matthew, said they had been travelling the world to acquire specialist equipment for the bottling line, including a pasteuriser from Trinidad and a labelling machine from a city in Russia.

Welcome news

Unite regional coordinator Steve Preddy welcomed the news. “We’re delighted Brothers have acquired Line Six from across the road,” he said. “This was a white elephant C&C was pouring money into but never using.”

The latest news from Brothers comes against a backdrop of production slowly ceasing at the main site, with more than a hundred jobs set to go.

Unite had earlier this year slammed C&C group – which owns famous brands produced at the site, such as Addlestones, Blackthorn, Natch and Olde English – for moving production to Dublin. The move, Unite argued, would leave 120 highly-skilled workers jobless and would end a cider-making tradition that stretches back hundreds of years.

It was also a completely unnecessary decision considering that the Shepton Mallet mill was a profitable one.

But Preddy added that while Brothers will likely employ some of those who have been made redundant after C&C ceases cider production, the move will do little for the vast majority of the workforce.

He condemned the drinks giant’s behaviour toward the remaining workforce. While operations were set to cease by the end of the summer, shifting production to Dublin has been beset by delays meaning many in the workforce are being kept in the dark about when their jobs in Shepton Mallet will end.

Preddy said that this was merely a continuation of the company’s “appalling record of bad management and lack of communication with the workforce.”

Unite had spearheaded a campaign calling on C&C group to urgently find a buyer for the site to save the mill – and to sell its brands to make the whole package a more attractive one for a potential buyer. The company has so far refused to consider selling the brands.

The mill can produce other beverages beyond cider, including lager and even soft drinks, Preddy explained. It is understood that if a buyer comes forward it will likely not use the mill for cider production.

“No matter what the mill eventually ends up producing should it find a new buyer, many of our members in this highly skilled workforce have transferable skills that will be invaluable for the mill’s future success.”

Pic of cider workers at earlier protest, by Mark Thomas