Gaymer bows to pressure and brings back Dry Blackthorn
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Gaymer Cider Company has bowed to public pressure and brought back its Dry Blackthorn cider brand after dropping it last year.
Blackthorn was relaunched last March with a new recipe, which angered fans of the cider in the South West of England who objected to the drink’s sweeter taste.
Outdoor ads for the brand were vandalised in protest and several Facebook groups - “The New Bad Taste of Blackthorn”, “I Want My Blackthorn Back!” and “Boycott Blackthorn” to name three - were setup calling for the change to be reversed.
In response to the protests, Gaymer will make the original draught Dry Blackthorn recipe available again across the region from 26 March. The drink will sit alongside the Blackthorn brand in the Gaymer cider portfolio.
Bob Cork, master cider maker at Gaymer, says: “We underestimated the passion people in the South West have for Dry Blackthorn and have been bowled over by their determination to get their favourite cider back.”
Despite the local protest, Gaymer claims the relaunch has been successful with sales up nationally since the introduction of the new recipe. The firm launched a £2m marketing campaign for Blackthorn to build on the sales gains earlier this month.
Magners owner C&C Group agreed to buy the The Gaymer Cider Company for £45m in December. Gaymer also owns the Olde English and Gaymers brands.
Readers' comments (2)
nick | Sat, 6 Mar 2010 9:54 am
my opinion is they took to long! there is a wealth of ciders in the west country, more and more have turned to traditional ciders, and alternative ciders, in the first instance 600 hundred people were surveyed for the change, locals saw this as a insult, i know half that many, there has always been two seperate recipies denoted by the lable (cap) on the barrel and the taste would always be notice. No matter how much of a marketing machine Magners was,Cider is NOT an Alchopop, or juice, west country ciders are traditional! It does NOT come with a bucket of ice! but drank with a slice of Lemon, by choice! I could write all day about Cider, but tha fact is market something new ie magners, with a made up tradition, but don't try to change someting that already had traditiion, i don't care if it does'nt sell in America, Magners "Irish over ice" Will
Nick
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Brian George | Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:48 am
Of course Cider is a West Country tradition and given 'trendy' over ice serves, which everyone, seems to have latched onto, as well as variants such as pear, a move back towards more traditional values may indeed be a pretty smart move. So despite what West Country Nick says, well done Blackthorn
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