Taunton Cider Co. Ltd Round Black Backed Steel

Taunton Cider Co. Ltd black backed steel tray dating from the 1930s. In 1805, a local farmers co-operative was formed to produce cider at Norton Fitzwarren, in Somerset. In the early 1900s, the Reverend Cornish started making cider from these locally produced apples and pulp at his Heathfield Rectory. In 1911 the priest and the co-operative set-up the Taunton Cider Company, in Norton Fitzwarren, to commercially produce his cider. The firm began by supplying its cider to local pubs in the Taunton area. The Company was registered as the Taunton Cider Co. Ltd in 1921. In the 1950s the introduction of pasteurisation gave cider a much longer shelf life, allowing the drink to be marketed nationally. Mastering this process allowed the Company to purchase the Quantock Vale Cider Co. Ltd of Norton Fitzwarren, Ashford Valley Cyders Ltd of Kent, Brutton, Mitchell, Toms Ltd of Yeovil, and Horrell & Son Ltd of Exeter, in the 1950s and 1960s. By the 1980s, the Company was Britain's second largest cider maker after H.P.Bulmer Ltd. The main brands were Blackthorn Cider, Taunton Original and Taunton Gold, which had previously been the best seller of Brutton, Mitchell, Toms Ltd. In 1995 the firm was acquired by the drinks Company Matthew Clark plc. The factory in Norton Fitzwarren was closed in 1998.