Somerset has always been cider country, and in Shepton Mallet, it is impossible to ignore. On the edge of town, silo-like tanks loom over nearby buildings, filled to the brim with cider. The faint smell of apples lingers in the air. They form part of the Showering Cider Mill, a family-owned business that traces its roots back over two centuries.
Its most famous product is Babycham, a sparkling pear-based cider, or perry, that boomed in popularity in the 1960s and 1970s. A statue of the brand’s mascot, a Bambi-like chamois wearing a blue ribbon, still stands outside the factory. Champing at the bit: From left, fathers Matthew and Jonathan, and sons Nick, James and Keith, with their posh fizz.
After a turbulent few decades, which saw the cider mill fall out of its control until eight years ago, the Showering family has been working to return to the forefront of the UK cider industry. Since the 1990s this has been done through Brothers Drinks, a cider brand often in the hands of revellers at the nearby Glastonbury music festival.
It is in the firm’s wood-panelled offices, across the road from the factory, that I meet two generations of Showerings, all of whom manage a part of the firm. It is a team of seven – four brothers and their three sons – though only five can make it today.
Nick Showering, 35, plans to bring cider into fine dining, challenging its image as a drink to be consumed in quantity in pub gardens in summer. He entered the public stage in 2022 as a contestant on BBC TV show The Apprentice, and is the son of company boss Matthew Showering, who alongside with his siblings Jonathan, Francis and Daniel, founded Brothers in 1992.
