The owner of a shop in a village where Inch’s cider was first made before it was taken over by a national company has defiantly refused to stock the cider and instead poured it all down the drain. Redmond Hanlon has run local Londis supermarket The Bakery Stores in Winkleigh for 38 years and is more than familiar with the village’s historic links with the now nationally popular cider brand.
The original creator of Inch’s cider was a postman named Sam Inch, who launched the brand in 1916. After being passed on to Sam’s son Derek, the cider factory was later sold and by the time it was taken over by Bulmers in 1996 it was a multi-billion dollar business.
The Winkleigh site closed two years later, but cider production in the village was revived by the determined David Bridgman, who joined Sam at the age of 15. The Winkleigh Cider Company was born and named Sam’s Cider in honor of its original founder.
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David is still very involved with the company, but its day-to-day management is now in the safe hands of Kylie Beardon, David’s daughter, and her husband Chris. Sam’s Cider is now recognized in its own right and has won many awards.
So when a delivery of Inch’s cider recently arrived at The Bakery Stores, Redmond staged his own protest against the way the Inch’s name was being removed from the village.
Redmond, who runs the store with his wife Lin and stepson Ben Kitchen, explains: “We are an independent store but we use the Londis name and they supply products to us. We accept from them what we allocate once a month mention, what an incentive. They send us things we might like. If you agree, you get a discount.
“Some we don’t like, like American beer, and some other things sell very slowly. But Inch’s cider is where we put our foot down, because Bulmer’s were extremely unpleasant to the village and it seemed like they didn’t care who worked there.” there and they shut it down.
“People associated with the Inch’s family and locals have revived it but Bulmers continue to use the Inch’s name. We now stock Sam’s Cider and other ciders but the last thing we will do is Putting inches in our store.
“We only received £20 of it so it was my decision to throw it away outside the shop as a sign of our objection to Winkleigh’s name being stolen. But I’m pleased to say that Sam’s Cider is doing very well do.
“I’m not knocking Inch’s cider because I haven’t tasted it. It seems very popular across the country, but there’s a lot of rubbish that’s popular.
“If we get Inch’s cider assigned to the store again, I will do the same. I’m sure it will happen at some point.”
Pouring the cider down the drain was Redmond’s idea, but two enthusiastic employees – Tracey Way and Sophie Osborne – carried out the task on his behalf.
In a firm voice, Redmond says he supports the measures being taken and declares, “We support Sam’s Cider.”
Kylie, the director of Winkleigh Cider Company, said: “We watched the video of staff throwing the ‘new’ Inch’s cider down the drain. Inch’s was the second largest cider producer in Britain in the mid-1990s.
“There were a lot of staff employed from the local village and surrounding areas. Someone knew someone who worked at Inch’s or had worked at Inch’s in their lifetime.
“It had a huge impact on Winkleigh when Bulmer closed the branch in 1998. My father started the Winkleigh Cider Company in January 1999.
“We have always been supported by the local population and have been so throughout the life of our company. We have always been very grateful for that.”
According to the Sam’s Cider history page, the history of ‘real Devon cider’ began in 1916 when Sam Inch started making cider at Western Barn in Winkleigh. Apples were paid in lieu of a salary, but the following year prices plummeted due to a glut of apples.
Faced with impending doom, Sam borrowed the necessary equipment and made some cider which eventually found its way into the cellars of the White Hart Inn and then to other pubs.
However, Sam still regarded cider making as a hobby, with his first occupation being a coachman and then a postman. In 1952, Inch’s Cider was bottled for the first time, with the distribution network expanding through Eggesford station.
Inch’s signature trademark – a gentleman in a tailcoat chugging a glass of cider with a barrel of brew in the background – quickly became well known. Many local people were hired as staff, including David Bridgman in 1966, aged 15.
Sam’s son Derek joined the company and his marketing skills saw the cider distributed across the British Isles, the Middle East, Europe and the United States. Derek sold Inch’s in 1988 when 25 x 40,000 gallon oak barrels took pride of place in the barrel houses.
The next owner turned the company into a multi-million dollar company. In the following years it put Winkleigh on the map with the production of many different ciders including White Lightning and Stonehouse.
In 1996 it was sold to the giant of the cider world, Bulmer’s, for £23 million. Sam’s website states: “The next two years were quite bleak, with profits falling and staff numbers reduced. In September 1998, Inch’s (owned by Bulmer’s) announced it was closing the cider factory.
“This was a huge blow to everyone, including locals and staff. All but four of the 100-year-old oak barrels were destroyed.”
Mr. Bridgman, who was the cider maker during all the acquisitions, decided to take action. In January 1999, The Winkleigh Cider Company was born. Bulmer took the name of the Inch, so David couldn’t use it.
He took cider production back to its roots to produce real ciders and Scrumpies and called it Sam’s Cider. The four remaining 100 year old oak barrels now take pride of place at Winkleigh Cider Company, as does its entire history. Sam’s Cider now has its own cafe on site called The Tallet Cafe.
Inch’s cider is a product of HP Bulmer Limited, owned by Heineken, which has been contacted for comment.