Once Upon A Tree craft cider producers in Ledbury in Herefordshire are delighted to announce the long awaited release of their new, entirely natural, wild yeast fermented, sparkling cider.

Once Upon A Tree is supporting the work of the International Centre for Birds of Prey (ICBP) based in Newent, Gloucestershire, by donating 25 pence per bottle to go towards their work in Little Owl conservation.

Cider maker Simon Day said:

Having attended a fascinating talk about the plight of these owls by Helen McSweeny-Atkins of the International Centre for Birds of Prey, and hearing they particularly favour orchard habitats, I was delighted to be able to offer a Little Owl nest box site in our orchards, which we hope will be occupied very soon!

Little Owls numbers have dropped 60% in Britain over the past decade and the ICBP are working hard to understand why, but also aiming to encourage breeding to boost numbers locally. The centre now have 50 boxes installed this year in celebration of their 50th Anniversary, and are still looking for more farmers, schools or local community groups to come forward to host and help monitor nest boxes.

Simon Day continued:

This rather special cider needed a name and a label, and this seemed the perfect opportunity to tie in with the ICBP to help raise awareness and funds to further support their fantastic conservation work.

The new cider is made from single variety Dabinett apples grown adjacent to the orchard nest box site. It has been named “Wild Flight” and the label features a Little Owl lino-cut print by local artist Hannah Day.

Jemima Parry-Jones (MBE), Director of ICBP, said:

We are delighted that Once Upon A Tree are able to support our project to encourage Little Owl numbers locally. This type of collaboration is great for local business and great for wildlife

The official release will be on May 27th when the International Centre for Birds of Prey celebrate their 50th Anniversary, and will be available at the ICBP, the Three Counties Cider Shop and shortly in stockists across the Three Counties and further afield.

Press release from Once Upon A Tree