September and October - traditional time apple harvest. The main question is what to do with this great wealth. Some summer residents make jam, others make compotes. Not the most obvious option is to produce cider on your own site in the village of Toksovo ( Leningrad region) - was chosen by legal consultant Alexey Beletsky. Together with like-minded people, he processes more than a ton of apples per season and has already gone beyond home production, and a month ago he quit his job at a large company in order to get more involved in his still small enterprise. The founder of Toksovskaya Cidreria told The Village where a newbie should start, how to choose equipment, where to find apples, how to cooperate with bars, and explained why cider still has little chance of repeating the success of craft beer.
How it all began
The story with cider began in an apartment, and then, after buckets, cans and bottles no longer fit there, it moved to country cottage area. The idea of squeezing juice and making cider came to mind on its own about four years ago: there was another disastrous apple harvest, and endless bags had to be carried home to the fifth floor: you can’t throw it away, mom won’t understand. I wasn’t ready to process it any other way. Cider is a more liquid product; in fact, it is quickly made and consumed quickly.
And away we go. At some point, my friends started arriving with trunks full of apples, and it turned out that I already had 500 kilograms. This year we announced the apple harvest for the first time, posted an announcement on the Internet and on fences in villages. On the one hand, we help people cope with the harvest, on the other hand, we ourselves are interested in doing this, because the more we do, the better.
It's not about capturing the market, it's about enthusiasm. People who want to run cider as a business buy concentrated apple juice, process it technologically into cider and sell it, rather than work all day on the site, covered from head to toe in apple scraps. This is the lot of slightly crazy people. Now I am increasingly finding out that my friends have started crushing apples and making cider or even Calvados - many people are attracted to this.
About apples
There are countries with a traditional cider history. In certain regions of Spain, France and Britain there is an established cider culture, orchards in which special varieties of apples are grown, and, accordingly, cideries in which people are professionally engaged. Traditionally, cider is made using both sweet apples as a base, sour apples to give the drink a sharper taste, and bitter, tannic apples to add astringency. As far as I know, there is one cider producer in Russia that has its own gardens - St. Anton.
We collect local apples that grow in people's dachas - all the varieties are quite diverse, and the result is a complex balance. Country apples are very different in taste and aroma from dessert apples that are sold in stores; you won’t find sour or bitter varieties there. At dachas, apple trees often run wild, and as a result, each time something new is obtained, perhaps not entirely correct from the point of view of industrial production, but appropriate as a local project.
Technology
In principle, the technology here is the same: there are apples that do the bulk of the work for you, that is, they provide taste and aroma. In the country cider we make, everything comes from nature. You just need to wash everything, maintain sanitation, maintain the temperature, and so on. The strength of Toksovskaya Cidreria is that it is possible to store and process apples and cider in one place: in addition to the site itself, there is a basement and the second floor of the house.
It all started with a simple water bottle into which the juice was squeezed using a regular household juicer. In addition, there was a sieve, a colander, a funnel and a water bottle into which a water seal is inserted so that carbon dioxide comes out and air does not enter. Some people use rubber gloves instead, but this is wrong, as they still allow air to pass through. Later they began to use special containers for fermentation.
In general, I was surprised to discover that in order to learn something new, it is not necessary to read long instructions, but you just need to type into YouTube “how to do something” in English. Americans have made millions of videos for all occasions. Among them you can find general videos (such as how to make cider) or very specific videos for solving certain problems (for example, how to make an apple press).
Of course, there are some nuances. It is advisable that the juice be without pulp, because during fermentation it can lead to the appearance of more complex ethereal aromas, roughly speaking, paint-like aromas. The clarity of the juice depends on the juicer. We first use a crusher, and then immerse the chopped apples in a press - the juice turns out completely clear, since they are filtered through themselves. On household juicers, the juice is obtained with pulp, but you can simply strain it through the same colander. I don’t want to impose any particular method of making cider; it’s better to try it, especially since it’s a fairly pleasant process - unless, of course, you fall into fanaticism.
Active fermentation (when the juice gurgles) lasts approximately one to two weeks. The period depends on several factors: firstly, on the temperature, secondly, on how sweet the juice is used, thirdly, on the type of yeast that was used. If we use wild yeast, which is in the juice itself, the process will take longer. There are also many varieties of cultural yeast that can be used - there is nothing bad or harmful about it.
After fermentation, post-fermentation occurs - this is a slower process that can take two to three weeks. Optimal results begin to appear in the second month. You can, of course, start drinking cider immediately after it stops gurgling, but the longer it sits, the more interesting it later becomes.
Next stage: pour the cider into bottles and seal tightly. Since the carbon dioxide has nowhere to escape and saturates the cider, it becomes carbonated and tastier. "Still" still cider is more like white wine. After bottling and gassing, bottles of cider are placed in a more or less cool place.
Cider can be stored indefinitely. The advantage of home production is that the yeast from the drink does not disappear anywhere and the cider matures in the bottle. Yeast, combined with alcohol and carbon dioxide, is an environment in which other microorganisms cannot grow. The longer you store the cider, the better. This season, for example, we drink last year's cider.
The strength of cider is usually around 4-6%. Any indicator is optimal, the taste is more important, and it is indirectly related to how sweet the juice was and to what degrees it fermented.
We constantly update our equipment. Together with Pasha Brik from the Verstak workshop, we made a press and a crusher: you can quickly process your garden harvest in them. Next you need equipment to bottle the cider and wash them - all this can be found in home brewing stores. You can also purchase presses of various sizes there.
On cooperation with bars and legalization of production
Homemade cider, in theory, can only be distributed among friends. Of course, some kind of shadow market exists, but it is very small and therefore invisible. In general, commerce is a natural development of any such activity. At first, everyone asks you to try the cider, and you give it away just like that, and then people who are no longer close and dear come and ask you to sell it. I also don’t want to do it completely for free - it still takes a lot of effort and time. To move from home production to the legal level requires large investments. Therefore, alcohol producers exist for some time in a semi-legal form, and then they draw up documents.
We supply bars with cider that is made under a contract with the brewery. We come with our idea and technology, but formally it is done by the brewery. She frames it as her product and handles sales, and we tell familiar establishments about our cider. This is a completely legal story.
Toksovskaya Sidreria team (from left to right): Timur Yunusov, Konstantin Shmoldaev, Boris Brevnov, Alexey Beletsky, Anton Yarunichev
First of all, we started collaborating with those bars that we visit most often: for example, I Believe Bar, “Chronicles”, Beergeek. Liza Izvozchikova from the “Products” bar helped a lot in the beginning, she was excited about this idea and told many people about us. Then word of mouth started. Now we constantly cooperate with several dozen places, plus something opens all the time. In general, St. Petersburg bars on weekends are an abyss that cannot be filled. In addition, we often ship cider to other cities.
I try to experiment in small homemade batches in order to somehow improve and learn. Conscience does not allow you to make large volumes for sale without knowing exactly what will happen in the end. Besides, home production is more about fun and hanging out with friends. Cider that goes into a bar requires a careful and responsible approach. It turns out there are two different directions, and one supports the other.
The prospects are great. Many people love cider, and a drink made by local guys from local fruits, with a unique smell and taste, unfiltered, a little cloudy and smelling of homemade apples, is much more interesting than a mass product.
Could cider become the new craft beer?
The craft beer story was predictable - every country goes through it with a lag of a few years. In the USA, what we call the craft beer revolution was a slow and organic process, but we borrowed finished product. Because of this, everything happens faster. Those who want to compete are looking one step ahead. The beer production technology is much more mature, all the ingredients are available from suppliers, recipes are easy to come up with if you have a head on your shoulders and a good technologist. With cider, in this regard, everything is more complicated: you need to reinvent the wheel - come up with some kind of press, look for tons of apples somewhere.
A craft fashion for local cider production is also emerging, but there are not and will not be ready-made scenarios that will allow you to quickly achieve success. First of all, farming should develop and Agriculture. Malt and hops are easily shipped from abroad, but apples are a product that is best grown and processed locally.
Photos: Vasily Jonga
One of the very common and popular weakly alcoholic drinks is cider. Cider is made by fermenting apple juice without adding yeast. Another type of juice, such as pear, is used much less frequently. To make this drink, special varieties of apples are used, containing a large amount of tannin and little acid. Cider contains approximately 8% alcohol and is green or golden-green in color and has a pleasant, refreshing taste and aroma.
Cider is very popular in European countries, although this drink is common in many countries around the world. According to its composition, cider is divided, like wine, into dry and sweet varieties, the strength of which increases from the first to the second.
Those people who prefer to drink cider instead of other alcoholic drinks say that this drink improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, promotes a preventive effect on the human body, and most interestingly, leads to such a phenomenon as an anti-alcohol effect. That is, those who drink cider will definitely not become alcoholics. We will not say whether this is true or not, but nevertheless the fact has been noted.
Cider contains a huge amount of vitamins and microelements, phenolic substances and beneficial acids, and a very low percentage of alcohol. Moreover, apple alcohol, which is no match for regular alcohol.
All these qualities lead to the fact that cider has a number of medicinal and preventive properties; it can treat rheumatism and gout, as well as remove radionuclides and heavy metals from the human body.
The volume of cider consumed around the world has recently increased. The first place in the world is held by England, the second by South Africa, and in third place are two countries - France and Germany. IN modern Russia They also drink cider, although its volumes of both production and consumption are small compared to other alcohol.
In this regard, investments in the production of this low-alcohol drink are very promising for investors, since the market has room to develop, and the lack of competition and possible high demand in the future contribute to this. In addition, at the first stage of production there are no large costs, and this is another big plus for such production.
Raw materials for cider
Connoisseurs of this drink, according to them, can determine the country in which this product was produced, just like wine gourmets. IN different countries, which are the main producers of cider in the world, have their own special taste and aroma of this drink. Let us compare, for example, English, French, Spanish and German ciders. English cider tastes dry and tart; French cider is sweet and less tart, with a strong apple aroma. Spanish cider is even sweeter and not tart, while German cider is much more sour than all the others, but the most tart of all cider varieties.
To make cider, special varieties of apples are used that were bred specifically for these purposes. They were cultivated and tested for several centuries, and therefore the name “cider” apple varieties was assigned to these varieties. In countries that are leaders in the production of traditional ciders, and as we said above, these are France, England, Germany and Spain, great attention is now paid to the quality and selection of these apple varieties. All ciders in these countries undergo state control for their taste and organic properties.
Modern “cider” varieties of apples have a higher content of sugars and phenolic substances compared to ordinary table varieties. In addition to this difference, they also have a long shelf life without damaging the structure of the peel and very dense pulp. But all this does not mean that these are some unusual apples, these are quite ordinary varieties, which during the Soviet Union were cultivated without exception specifically for the purpose of cider production.
Technological standards dating back to the Soviet era state that apples of a zoned variety are suitable for cider, which were harvested at the stage of technical maturity, with an acidity of at least 7 grams per cubic decimeter. And most of the winter and autumn-winter varieties of apples fit this interpretation.
The following varieties of apples, which are common in our country, are ideal for making cider: Antonovka, Grushovka, Renet Bumazhny, Borovinka. One of the main requirements for cider production is that the apples must be ripe, juicy and sweet. Many experts say that blending is recommended to give cider a more refined taste. different varieties. To do this, you can experimentally make a small batch of the product and taste it. Although, as they say, as many people as there are, so many tastes. In addition to apples, cider is also made from pears. This type of cider is called “perry”, and it is made from the fermented juice of sweet pears.
Cider making technology
The entire process of making cider consists of many different stages and operations. First, the apples are collected, after which they are delivered to production, where they undergo the process of washing and chopping.
The next step is to press the chopped apples, thus squeezing out the juice. After this, the juice is clarified and filtered. The resulting juice begins to ferment, and the cider making process itself begins, after which the resulting drink is clarified and improved taste qualities and bottled. Sometimes, for some varieties, cider is additionally saturated with carbon dioxide.
It is noteworthy that there are no special requirements for cider making processes in the world, and each manufacturer does everything according to one recipe unique to him. And among classic recipes cider, there are several options for how to make them, and they differ primarily in the method of processing the cider material, that is, apples.
But all manufacturers prefer to use high-quality equipment for these purposes in the process of work, which helps to achieve a good taste of production speed. This equipment includes various presses, crushers, containers made of special metal, and so on. It’s already the 21st century, so without purchasing normal equipment, cider production will be impossible. And this must be taken for granted if you decide to engage in this business.
There are ready-made production lines that allow you to automate almost the entire cider making process. This line selects the necessary raw materials, while separating the rejects, after which the apples are cut and pressed, and then the processes of fermentation, settling and clarification follow. Additional options include bottling and labeling equipment.
But there are also minimally automated lines, but their use requires a human factor, or, to put it simply, workers. A significant difference lies in the cost of these lines. As we have already said above, there are no special standards in the production process, however, there is the most common scheme that all manufacturers try to adhere to.
First of all, suitable ones are selected from all the apples, and rotten ones are separated. This procedure takes place on a special sorting and inspection belt conveyor. At the next stage, all apples are washed twice in a unified washing machine. After washing, the apples are transported through the elevator for chopping. Grinding occurs using a disk or hammer crusher.
Chopped apples, or pulp as they are also called, are infused in containers without air access for 6-24 hours. After infusion, apple juice is squeezed out of this pulp using special presses. When the juice has been squeezed out, it must still sit for several days, and the readiness of the juice for further processing is determined by the appearance of a so-called cap, a thick brown foam, on its surface.
The next stage is the process of juice fermentation itself. It flows in completely filled barrels, at an ambient temperature of no higher than 12 degrees. For fermentation, water seals are used, as is the case with homemade wine. With this method of cider production, the so-called homemade cider is obtained, or as professionals also call it “nedobrod”. This drink is very carbonated, and therefore it is bottled, like champagne, with a bridle, and stored in a dark, cool cellar. In order to increase shelf life, pasteurization of this product is used.
We have described the process of making cider in the classical way, but for industrial production additional steps are also used. This is due to the fact that such cider has a very short shelf life, so on an industrial scale, components such as oak wood and grape must are added to the cider composition. These substances help extend the shelf life and add a little tartness and a unique mixed aroma to the cider.
In general, in the industry there are two ways to extend the shelf life of finished cider. The first involves bottling using membrane filtration into special champagne bottles, in a cold, sterile form, with obligatory sealing using wire, as in champagne. Another method is bottle pasteurization of the product. The juice stored in special containers is clarified, then cooled and settled. And only then it is filtered and the wort for future cider is made from it.
In the wort to increase the composition of tannins and long-term storage Approximately 20 percent wild apple juice is added. Store the wort in hermetically sealed containers filled to the top. After this, the finished blend is clarified, filtered and pasteurized. After pasteurization, the material processed in this way is cooled and saturated with carbon in acratophor. And in its final form it is already bottled using corks and wire. Cider is a very carbonated drink, an order of magnitude stronger than champagne, so the use of wire protection is mandatory. Just remember the cartoon “Well, wait a minute!”, where the wolf opened a bottle of cider, and what came out of it!
In order to engage in industrial cider production, special equipment is needed. For example, an automatic juice extraction line with a capacity of 150-200 liters per hour consists of the following elements:
10-ton press with hydraulic drive.
Fruit crusher.
Pasteurizer.
Filler for glass containers.
Metal frame for press and crusher.
Pump, electric motor and filter.
For this equipment, water must be used that meets the requirements of GOST 2874-73 “Drinking water”.
We calculate income and expenses for this production
All entrepreneurs who are ready to invest money in production need to know that in 2013 a law was passed which states that for the production of ciders and mead you do not need to obtain a state license, but only an excise tax, unlike other alcoholic products .
In 2015, the excise tax on one liter of cider is 9 rubles, that is, if you produce 1000 liters per month, then the excise tax is 9000 rubles. In order to start making cider and start production, you will need about 2.5 million rubles. Most of these funds (approximately 1.5-1.8 million) will be spent on equipment. In addition to equipment, you need at least two workers and the purchase of materials and packaging containers. These are glass bottles and cork stoppers.
It is quite possible to become completely profitable after 1.5-2 years of work. If done correctly, cider production can become quite profitable business Moreover, according to analysts, the market is planning to increase demand for these products. Good luck with your business!
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In 2016, employees of the Samara university opened their own cidery, focusing on products made from natural apple juice. The chief technologist of the Department of Cider Making, Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor Pavel Chaldaev and Director Ruslan Malygin told the editors of Profibeer the history of the enterprise, dispelled myths about the meager variety of ciders and noted the importance of using farm raw materials.
“Cider gives as much room for creativity as beer”
There are two technologies for producing cider - from directly pressed juice and from concentrated juice. What technology are you using?
Paul: We use both technologies for different target audiences. Traditional cider technology involves, of course, using directly pressed apple juice, but more and more cider producers around the world are using concentrated apple juice, obtained by evaporating most of the moisture from directly pressed juice. This also applies to countries traditionally involved in cider production, including France and the UK.
Ruslan: The cider market experienced a great catastrophe, as a result of which connoisseurs of this noble drink completely lost faith in the integrity of domestic cideries. Statistics mention the low demand for cider, and it is clear that there is practically no quality product. Most manufacturers use low quality concentrated apple juice at best. The goal of our company is to change this situation using domestic raw materials. We are currently working with apple processing plants that supply us with ready-made, directly pressed apple juice. This has made our task much easier, and now we are not limited in our own apple-squeezing capacity. In the near future we plan to make varietal ciders. We do not deceive consumers and openly write on the labels what juice a given type of cider is obtained from.
Where do you get the raw materials for your cider?
Ruslan: At the beginning of our journey, we used apples exclusively from the Samara region and processed them ourselves. Small production volumes made the final product unaffordable, so we decided to purchase ready-made directly pressed juice. Farmers from neighboring regions helped, who can supply juices from the required apple varieties. There are plans to start our own gardens.
Paul: We also cooperate with a number of Russian manufacturers concentrated juices processing apples middle zone Russia. This juice is most suitable for producing high-quality ciders. Juices from southern apples are not suitable, as they contain few acids and phenolic substances.
Do you have your own production, or a contract?
Ruslan: This is our own micro-enterprise located in Samara. It is equipped with fermentation tanks and storage tanks for cider materials. Equipment of domestic production. When working with ready-made juice, we were able to save money on the apple processing line. The enterprise's capacity is small - no more than 10 tons per month.
You developed some of the equipment together with familiar engineers, tell us about this experience.
Paul: Production is creativity; you constantly need to change something, modernize it, adapt existing equipment to current tasks, or develop it anew. There was a need to assemble several devices, but we are not doing this purposefully.
There is an opinion among brewers that cider gives much less room for creativity than beer. What do you think of it?
Ruslan: It is unclear how such thoughts could come. Just imagine how many different varieties of apples there are in the world! In our Samara region alone, several dozen new varieties were bred during the Soviet years.
Paul: We're not even talking about different fermentation technologies. Ciders can be light and clear, or dense and cloudy, dry and sweet, sparkling and still. We think that after our words, many will rethink this opinion.
What interesting experiments have you had with cider?
Ruslan: For me, one of the most interesting experiments is making apple kvass using wild flour sourdough. It can be classified as a non-alcoholic drink.
Paul: We tried dry hopping the cider with American hops with fruity and citrus aromas, and it turned out very well. But by law, cider is only fermented apple juice and the use of hops in its production is prohibited.
We mainly experiment with apple varieties and select blends. The work is carried out at a scientific level, analyzing the physical and chemical parameters of juices and cider materials from various varieties of apples, and, of course, tasting them. The main emphasis is on searching for apple varieties with a high content of tannins and aromatic substances.
“It is in dry ciders that the taste of apple juice is revealed”
Tell us about your line of ciders.
Paul: We produce ordinary and vintage ciders. Ordinary ciders are ciders of an average price category, obtained by blending fermented reconstituted apple juices, aimed at a wide audience.
Vintage ciders are aged premium ciders. The blend includes cider materials obtained by fermenting directly pressed apple juices.
Fermentation is carried out using pure cultures of French wine yeast. This allows us to obtain products of constant quality with high taste and aroma characteristics. Our range is traditional cider made exclusively from apple juice, from dry to sweet.
There is an opinion that in Russia they do not understand dry ciders. How are your sales in this segment?
Paul: Both dry and sweet ciders are sold. There is undoubtedly a trend towards increasing the consumption of dry ciders, but one way or another, many are accustomed to drinking cider with residual sugars. Unfortunately, there are not many connoisseurs of dry ciders, as well as dry wines, in Russia. But we are trying to convey to the potential audience that it is in dry ciders that the full taste of fermented apple juice is revealed.
How did your cidery come about?
Ruslan: Our history began with the Samara Polytechnic University, where Pavel, our chief technologist and teacher at this university, was involved in the creation and development of a winemaking laboratory in his department. He experimented in developing the technology of wines and ciders from local raw materials. Pavel talked so enthusiastically about his work that I also became interested in this business, and we decided to create our own enterprise. This is where the logical name came from, reflecting the scientific component of our cidery. Each batch of raw materials and cider is controlled in the university laboratory, and students undergo industrial practice at our enterprise.
How did you enter the market and find your first clients?
Ruslan: It all started with free tastings and free samples. Local bars wanted to try something new, and they gladly took our products. A little later we advanced to the regional Network shops, and then we realized how vast our country is. Finding clients is simple - now there is a unique opportunity to ride the “craft” wave. The first deliveries to each customer took place at individual conditions, sometimes we worked only on our own enthusiasm.
Paul: It was actually difficult to start. Very large quantity People are of the opinion that cider is a low-alcohol, sweet, carbonated lemonade. Most people were surprised, even shocked, after trying our products, after which they changed their attitude towards this drink.
“Natural cider producers need to be put on a par with winemakers”
In which cities can you try your ciders?
Ruslan: Currently, several distribution companies in Russia work with us in largest cities: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Ekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod and others. We run small towns on our own, as long as we have enough strength to do so.
How did the cidery cope with the sharp increase in the excise tax on cider?
Ruslan: At that moment we were just starting work, we had to adapt, but it was not easy. Naturally, the end buyer now has to pay much more for the drink, given these circumstances. On the other hand, the increase in excise taxes did not have a positive effect on unscrupulous producers of pseudo-cider, and from this point of view it can be assumed that this is a good moment in the development of cider in Russia.
What do you think about the initiative of OPORA Russia, according to which only a drink made from directly pressed apple juice can be called cider?
Paul: We certainly support the initiative and believe that natural cider producers should be put on a par with winemakers and given similar concessions.
How do your ciders differ from others?
Ruslan: Since our history began with winemaking, we began to produce still ciders, i.e. still. This allows the consumer to better understand the “body” of the drink; after drinking it, there is no unpleasant sensation from carbon dioxide.
Paul: We focus on dry and semi-dry ciders, which best reveal the taste of fermented apple juice.
Unfortunately, cider, which has its own rather long history in Russia, Soviet period was undeservedly forgotten. The last progress in this direction was in the seventies and the older generation probably still remembers the green 0.75l bottle with the inscription “CIDER”.
We decided to change this situation radically. Production work began with the study and development of technology. For this purpose, we visited England (Somerset), Normandy and, of course, Spain - Asturias and the Basque Country. At the same time, an analysis of Russian apple varieties was carried out. And here the first serious obstacle arose - the almost complete absence of apples of cider selection in Russia, despite the abundance of table varieties, in simple terms, apples for eating. So, one of the main tasks for development was identified - the study and selection of varieties most suitable for cider production. We began to solve this problem by teaming up with specialists from the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Our ideas have found full understanding and support from leading Russian breeders.
In 2005, we built the first Russian cider production plant. One of our priority tasks is to develop the very culture of consumption of this interesting drink in Russia. Cider, in our opinion, can be an excellent alternative to beer and low-alcohol cocktails, and, given the absolute naturalness of the drink, we see our consumer as a person who places high demands on the quality of the product.
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* The calculations use average data for Russia
Cider is one of the most popular tonic low-alcohol drinks, which is obtained by fermenting apple, less often pear, or other fruit juice without adding yeast. To make cider, not ordinary apples that are eaten are used, but special varieties with a low acid content and high tannin content. The cider strength ranges from 1 to 8 vol. %. This drink has a golden or greenish color and a fresh, pleasant apple smell.
Like wine, ciders are classified according to their sugar content, from dry to sweet. Note that cider is one of the most popular tonic low-alcohol drinks in many countries around the world. It is especially loved in European countries (France, England, Germany, Spain). Cider fans claim that low-alcohol drinks made from cider apple varieties help improve digestion, have an anti-alcohol effect, as well as a therapeutic and preventive effect on the human body. The cider contains a high mass concentration of organic acids, phenolic substances, minerals (macro- and microelements) and vitamins, as well as a low volume particle ethyl alcohol. All this determines its high therapeutic and prophylactic properties - diuretic, anti-gout, anti-rheumatic, anti-alcohol (like hygienic table grape wines), and also removes radionuclides and heavy metals from the body.
Cider consumption volumes are constantly increasing. According to the Association of Cider and Fruit Wine Producers, these drinks are most common in England (50 million decaliters per year), South Africa (14 million decaliters), France and Germany (12 million decaliters). However, cider is also in demand in Russia, although it is not as widespread here as abroad. Therefore, the cider production business attracts the attention of investors: this drink is in high demand, and its producers can be counted on one hand. Lack of competition, relatively small investments at the initial stage of work and high profitability are the main advantages of the cider production business.
Raw materials for cider production
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Experts say that by the taste of cider you can always determine the country where it was made. Indeed, different cider producing countries have their own consumer preferences for their taste characteristics, which is manifested in various organoleptic properties (aroma, bouquet and taste of the drink) and indicators of the physical and chemical composition of drinks. For example, if we compare English, French, Spanish and German ciders, the former, according to experts, are tart, dry, with moderate acidity, the latter are less sour, and therefore sweeter, with medium astringency and a pronounced aroma fresh apples, the third are sweeter and low-tart, and the fourth are also low-tart, but more sour.
As a rule, for the production of classic cider (as well as Calvados), special technical, so-called cider, varieties of apples are used, which are cultivated directly for this purpose. These varieties have been bred over several centuries in the countries where the classic drink is produced (England, France, Spain and Germany). Accordingly, the use of precisely these specially bred varieties is one of the main factors in shaping the quality of traditional ciders.
According to its organoleptic properties and chemical composition cider varieties of apples differ significantly from table and dessert varieties, which are used for fresh fruit consumption, primarily in their long shelf life without deterioration of the structure of the fruit tissue, dense and juicy pulp, and high mass concentrations of phenolic substances and sugars.
In our country, according to technological instructions Since Soviet times, for the production of cider it is recommended to use apples of zoned varieties, harvested at the stage of technical maturity with a titratable acidity of at least 7 g per cubic meter. dm. Preference is given to autumn-winter varieties. In particular, among the apple varieties that grow in our country, Borovinka, Antonovka, Doneshta, Grushovka, Umanskoe Zimneye, and Renet Bumazhny can be used to make cider. The apples should be sweet, juicy and always ripe. It is not forbidden (and even, on the contrary, recommended) to mix different varieties of apples, which gives the cider a more harmonious taste. There are four types of apple juice: aromatic, astringent, sour and neutral. Mixing these types of juices in various proportions gives the drink a special taste. Cider can be made not only from apples, but also from pears. This cider is called “perry” and is made from fermented pear juice with a high sugar content. Perry is especially popular in France, Spain and the UK.
Cider production technology
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The technological process of making cider involves several basic operations: collection, delivery to production, washing and chopping apples, infusion (this is not required in all cases) and pressing of the pulp, sulfitation and clarification of the juice, its fermentation, settling, clarification and storage of the resulting cider materials, they are processed to achieve stability and bottled (if necessary, carbonated).
There are no uniform requirements for the quality of finished ciders or for the methods of their production. Even among traditional (classical) methods for producing cider, several schemes are known that differ from each other mainly in the features of apple processing. However, today, due to the intensification of drink production, most producers are trying to use modern equipment (crushing machines, presses, stainless steel tanks) and winemaking auxiliaries (enzyme preparations, pure yeast culture, substances for clarification and stabilization, etc.). Accordingly, if you want to make cider, then you cannot do without purchasing special equipment.
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One line allows you to carry out all the necessary operations: acceptance of raw materials (washing, inspection), cutting and pressing, fermentation, settling, clarification and, as an additional option, bottling the drink into any container and packaging. On sale you can find both fully automated lines and equipment with minimal automation. The difference lies in price and labor savings.
The technology for making cider consists of two main stages. At the first stage, all ingredients are prepared, and at the second stage, blending, processing, saturation of the drink with carbon dioxide and bottling occurs.
Although there are no standards for cider, there is still a classic technology for preparing this low-alcohol drink, which is used by most manufacturers. First, the apples are carefully sorted, and rotten fruits are removed from the total mass. All these operations are carried out on special equipment - a sorting and inspection belt conveyor or a roller inspection conveyor. Then the apples are washed and rinsed in a standardized washing machine. Through the elevator they go to a hammer or disk crusher.
After washing, the apples are placed in trays (in the traditional version - in baskets) to drain excess moisture and then chopped. The resulting pulp is placed in closed containers without air access and infused there from six hours to several days. After this time, the pulp is compressed in hydraulic pack presses. The pomace from the press is filled with water and sent back to the press for 6-12 hours. Freshly squeezed juice is left to stand for several days. Readiness is determined by the appearance of a brown foam – a “cap” – on the surface of the liquid.
To speed up the process of purifying the juice and improve it before settling, a so-called defecant is added to it (this is sugar production waste generated during the defecation of sugar juice). Afterwards, the calcium salt of pectic acid begins to fall out, which is formed as a result of the hydrolysis of pectin substances under the influence of certain substances in apples or artificially introduced enzyme preparations. The fermentation process takes place in almost full barrels under water seals at a temperature of no more than 10-12°C. In this case, a carbon dioxide-saturated non-ferment is obtained, which is called homemade cider. This drink is bottled in champagne bottles with a cork secured with a bridle and stored in cold cellars. Bottle pasteurization can also be used to increase shelf life.
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Since the drink produced using the technology described above has a short shelf life, additional components are used in the industrial production of cider. In particular, vegetable tannin-containing raw materials to increase the content of phenolic substances in cider and add a little astringency to the taste of the drink (for example, finely ground oak wood and grape must can be used).
There are two main ways to extend shelf life finished products. The first method is cold, sterile bottling of champagne bottles with membrane filtration of the drink. The second method is bottle pasteurization. Apple juice clarifies when standing in stationary containers. The pre-freshly squeezed juice is cooled on a tubular cooler and remains. The juice is then removed from the sediment, passed through a cloth filter if necessary, and used to prepare wort.
To increase the acidity and content of phenolic substances, up to 20% juice of wild apples is added to the prepared raw materials. Finally, the fermented cider material is removed from the yeast sediment and infused in a tank for 3-10 days. Store it in filled, hermetically sealed containers. The finished blend is treated with clarifying agents, pasteurized and filtered on a plate or precoat filter. After cooling, the blend processed in this way is cooled, saturated with carbon dioxide in acratophor and bottled into new champagne bottles under an expeditionary cork and muzelle.
To make cider you will need special equipment. The line for the production of direct-pressed juice with a total capacity of 150 l/h includes: a metal frame for installing a press and crusher, a hydraulic press with a pressing force of up to 10 tons, a fruit crusher, a basket-type press made of untreated oak, an electric motor (powered by mains 220/380 V), pasteurizer, filler for bag-in-boxes or glass containers, pump and set of filters. The water supplied to the line must comply with the requirements of GOST 2874-73 “Drinking water”.
Cider production as a business: costs and income
Please note: from March 1, 2013, the production of pear and apple cider, as well as mead, does not require a license, as for other alcoholic products. However, according to amendments to the Tax Code and the Law on State Regulation of the Production and Trade of Ethyl Alcohol, Alcohol and Alcohol-Containing Products, excise taxes are required to produce cider. Since 2014, the excise tax per liter of cider, poire and mead has been 8 rubles; in 2015 it will be increased to 9 rubles.
To open a small cider production, you will need at least 2.5 million rubles. The largest expense item is the purchase of equipment (from 1.5 million rubles). In addition, you will need to rent premises, draw up all the necessary documents for production, hire workers (at least two people to service the line), purchase raw materials and packaging materials (glass bottles, cork stoppers, etc.).
You can recoup the costs in 1.5 years. Cider is in demand among the population, and, according to analysts, the industry for the production of this drink can be expected to develop in the near future.
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