Kent Cider of the Year 2021: Disco by Duddas Tun Cider
Find out how Duddas Tun are sustainable
Dudda’s Tun first started producing cider on their family fruit farm, Pine Trees Farm in 2009. Rob Payne, 5th generation farmer made the first 2,000 Litre batch to sell at local Farmers Markets, to help pay his wage after returning to the family business after university. The cider quickly picked up a big following, and soon attracted the attention of pubs, restaurants, and shops alike. Over the years Rob has developed the cider business, including the first making of Disco cider in 2013. Fermented from 100% fresh pressed Discovery and Grenadier apples and using only naturally occurring wild yeasts present on the apples, Disco was an instant hit.
Dudda’s Tun has amassed 30 awards to date, regionally and nationally, and continues to grow year on year. You can now find Dudda’s Tun in many Kent Co-op shops, pubs and micropubs up and down the country and even exports to Russia, as our ciders continue to attract buyers.
The way we make cider hasn’t changed since day one (albeit on a larger scale). Our core cider values have remained throughout - always fermented from 100% fresh pressed apples grown on our farm or local farms, and always using wild yeasts.
Sustainability
Our ciders are all vegan friendly too, and can be used in stews, sauces and batters to bring a light appley flavour to any dish where you might normally use wine or beer.
At Dudda’s Tun we are very aware of our sustainability and environmental responsibilities. In a time when everyone realises the importance of reducing food miles, carbon footprints, the use of plastic and our impact on the environment, Dudda’s Tun continues to evolve.
Since day one the majority if not all the apples used to produce our cider are grown on site at the farm, and where additional fruit is needed, we have always sourced from neighbouring farms or local farms situated in Kent. Our cider shed houses our fermentation tanks, storage tanks, processing room and office, which all means our carbon footprint on our own farm has also reduced, from a time before when we would have to move cider/juice between 3 different buildings, often with the use of forklifts. We always use local transport companies to move apples, juice and cider within the county, as well as local couriers to deliver online orders.
More recently we have strived to make all our packaging for online orders either 100% compostable/biodegradable or 100% recyclable; the packaging void fillers supplied by Kite Packaging are made from plant starch, and the boxes and packaging tapes are made from cardboard and paper. We also use 100% compostable/biodegradable cups at festivals and events, as well as paper straws. For us it is second nature to look for the more responsible and environmentally positive alternative, and believe this is a time when all companies should be doing the same – there simply is no excuse for the use of disposable plastic cups anymore!
