GFC helped brew Te Puna cider business

What do two talented young wine makers, on holiday in Mexico, do when they discover the GFC has left them jobless?

Go to New Zealand, plant an apple orchard and start making cider, of course. Well, it wasn’t initially that obvious to Simon and Rowena Pearce, but the Global Financial Crisis did serve as a wake-up call for the couple who had been travelling the world, working for wineries along the way.


Rowena Pearce turns a bottle of Resident Hawk, a 750ml methode traditonelle cider, made by O Cider.

Mills Reef
Tim Preston of Mills Reef Winery has offered the couple advice and support, and made available the use of the company’s kiwifruit wine-making equipment to process the fruit, with the final steps completed back at O Cider base.

Until the home orchard’s production increases, apples and pears are sourced from the Waikato, with the apples ideally processed after being left to sit in the sun to enhance their flavour.

Rowena and Simon say the techniques essential to making excellent cider are much the same as those required to make great wines, so the transition hasn’t been too difficult.

Committed to making traditional ciders, they use whole apples and pears, not concentrates, and yeasts they know will give the flavours they seek.

Cider may be an ancient beverage, but it’s relatively ‘young’ in this country. It is finding favour with health-conscious consumers who want a light, refreshing drink which is gluten-free and natural.

Simon and Rowena, who are members of the Fruit Wine and Cider Makers of NZ association, say they are excited to be involved in an industry still in its infancy and to be part of its evolution.

To complement the ciders, Rowena is making her own line of French-inspired charcuterie products under her Mercado label. “We hope, with licensing permission, to extend our offering here at the Tasting Shed during summer to allow our guests to stay and enjoy a cider or two with a Mercado charcuterie platter.”

Rowena credits Kate Lamont of Perth, one of Western Australia’s well-known chefs and authors, for the inspiration and courage to create her own specialty food range.



Pursue dreams
“I was fortunate enough to work for Kate and her family in Perth. I didn’t even know who Kate was when I went for the interview, but she and her family embraced Simon and I and encouraged us to pursue our dreams.”

Those dreams haven’t focused solely on food and cider. They’ve also included starting a family, with baby girl Leigh born in July.

O Cider’s Tasting Shed at 50 Oikimoke Rd, Te Puna is open Thursday to Sundays from 10am to 5pm. They can also be found at www.ocider.co.nz, which includes information about their range and stockists.


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