Armagh Cider for Guinness Store House in Dublin

Northern Ireland's Armagh Cider has won business from the iconic Guinness Storehouse in Dublin for its hand-crafted cider.

The company, which sources apples from its own orchards in County Armagh, is supplying its Maddens Mellow Cider, a silver award winner in 'Best in Category' at the first International Cider Challenge in London, to Guinness Storehouse. It has also won business from Donnybrook Fair, Dublin's upmarket retailer.

Armagh Cider also gained a bronze for its Carsons Crisp in this category. In the design and packaging category Carson's Crisp gained a gold award and Maddens Mellow a silver award.

Taking part in the competition were most of the biggest names in cider including Bulmers, Gaymers and Kopparberg

Armagh Cider's products are processed from fresh pressed apples, including the traditional Bramley and Cider varieties, and do not contain any artificial flavours, colours or other additives.

Armagh Cider's director Helen Troughton, who formed the small business with husband Philip, says: "The new business outside Northern Ireland and the recent international awards are a tremendous endorsement of the quality, provenance and heritage of our cider.

"Our apples are all sourced entirely from our own our orchards which now cover over 100 acres. Our family have been growing applies in County Armagh since 1898, and the business remains family owned and managed.

"In fact, apples have been grown in the area since 1682. Armagh has long been the home of the apple business in Northern Ireland and among the most important in the UK and Ireland. The apples are pressed, and processed using traditional handcrafted techniques and bottled in our own plant.

"What we have done is to take this experience, focused for generations on supplying apples for retail and other cider processors, and turn it into our own operation that aims to expand outside Northern Ireland.

"With our ciders, apple juice and cider vinegars, we now offer consumers authentic, hand crafted, completely natural apple products with genuine provenance and heritage behind them and that deliver on quality and taste," she adds.

Armagh Cider's first product, Carsons Cider, was launched in January 2006. The company has evolved over the past five years and its product range has been substantially enhanced in response to consumer demand.

Maddens Mellow followed in early 2010 and has since developed into the company's biggest seller and key export product. Other products include 'AJ' pure apple juice and apple punch.