…Julia Morton of Orchard Origins

This week we meet a maker of some very traditional Herefordshire products and talk apple juice, cider vinegar and Verjuice, oh and if you’ve never heard of Verjuice do read on.

What is the story behind Orchard Origins and who are the faces behind the brand?

Orchard Origins was originally set up as a funded project by Herefordshire Wildlife Trust in 2012. It was a project in partnership with Herefordshire Mind with the aim of conserving traditional orchards and getting people with a history of mental ill health out into orchards doing various practical tasks. There was also a focus on local food and from the outset we were looking at making different apple based products which we could sell at farmers’ markets. Fast forward and we became a registered CIC (Community Interest Company). As a limited company we could now conduct Orchard Origins as a limited company but retain our commitment to wildlife and well-being. The purpose of a CIC is to run a business for community benefit and not purely for private advantage. We work tirelessly to improved mental wellbeing, manage orchards for wildlife and develop products and services that can support our activities. We are a small team, Julia Morton and Laurence Green have run Orchard Origins from the beginning. We have a fantastic bunch of volunteers who help make what we do possible.

Can you tell us a little bit about your products and how they are made?

Over the years we have dabbled with making numerous apple based products and finally decided that the way forward for us was to make deliciously blended apple juices, cider vinegar and now Verjuice. We work with a lot of private orchard owners and have access to some really wonderful apple varieties so it made sense to make products that could really showcase these flavours and tell their story. We have our own juicing facility which is in a converted cow buyer on a farm near Bodenham.

The Orchard Origins branding and illustrations are beautifully distinctive, can you tell us a little more about it and the artist behind it?

We were extraordinarily lucky that an artist friend of Julia’s offered to do the artwork and develop our branding free of charge. Originally it was a lino print and we are delighted with it as it receives a lot of positive comments.

You’ve recently launched a new product — Apple Verjuice — can you tell us more about it?

Last year, Laurence hit upon the idea of making verjuice, a product usually associated with grapes but after doing a spot of research, was likely to have once been made with apples too.

Verjuice was certainly widely used across Europe by the Romans (and may have been used prior to this) and its use persisted as a cooking ingredient throughout the Middle Ages. Unripe grapes were thinned to increase quality and ripening, and with a waste-not-want-not culture they were pressed to produce a souring agent. Since the Romans introduced orchards as they travelled, Orchard Origins suspect that the same process would have been used to produce apple verjuice.

Using a select blend mix of apples from our very own orchard at Lower House Farm, we have developed a truly unique product. Pleasingly sour, like lemon juice or vinegar, with a little sweetness to complement its intense fruitiness, the only thing it really compares to is tamarind.

Cider vinegar is widely thought to have many health benefits, what are your thoughts and recommendations?

We have to be very careful when making health claims but with a bit of research it is clear that there is a lot of information about cider vinegar benefitting overall health. We know people who use our unpasteurised vinegar for that reason taking it as a daily tonic in hot water with added lemon and honey. Other customers us it as a dressing. However you choose to use it, it is truly delicious.

Where can the people of Herefordshire buy your products?

Current stockists. We are always looking for more…
Hereford Deli, Truffles Deli — Ross-on-Wye, Penylan Pantry — Cardiff, Barber & Manuel Deli — Leominster, Yarpole Community Shop, Hope’s of Longtown , Herefordshire Wildlife’s Shop at Queenswood, Hay Deli.

Which other Herefordshire food growers, makers or shop-keepers do you admire and why?

We love all the deli’s in Herefordshire as they are wonderful at supporting local suppliers. I especially like Liz Knight — Forage Fine Foods. She’s a bit of a super star.

What’s next for Orchard Origins in 2017?

We will continue to build on what we have been doing and sharing our story with a wider audience. Already in the diary is a launch evening for our Verjuice on March 13th. This will be an opportunity for local buyers to come and hear our story and sample our products. Then on April 8th there is a Big Picnic at Queenswood and we’ll be there with our products, this time focusing a little on Juice as we’re running a competition for children to name one of our new juices.

We’re also building up our portfolio of orchards, working with the owners to manages them for the benefit of wildlife.

Last year we expanded our juicing service, pressing, bottling and pasteurising juice for community groups and individuals across the county. This is something we will be developing this year.

So, a big thanks to Julia for sharing the Herefordshire based Orchard Origins brand with us. If you want to read more or connect with Orchard Origins head over to their website.

If you would like to feature in a future Meet the Maker series, please do get in touch, we want to hear from you to and shout about what it is that you do, email us at EdibleHerefordshireAtGmail.com or tweet us using the link below.

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