About Our Organic Farm
Apple Pressing Service
Organic Apple Juice, Cider, Pork & Lamb
We have farmed the land at Drovers Hill Farm since 2006. The land was previously farmed conventionally and had lost much soil activity and organic matter. There was never a question in our minds that we would farm anything other than organically. We believe in more sustainable farming methods which benefits nature, our livestock and us. That means chemicals and petrochemical derived fertilisers aren't part of our thinking.
We do things differently.
In Nature We Trust.
When we started farming the land we introduced regenerative practices to correct and balance the soil, so we could benefit from unlocking natural soil resources into the future. We planted 5km of new hedges and 100s of trees that provide wildlife corridors, livestock shade/ shelter and protected undisturbed soil bands containing the vital soil life. We also saw an influx of wildlife make themselves at home. The hares are a particular favourite of ours which explains our logo!
We also planted our orchard from scratch, taking 4 years to complete the 5 acres. We planted a diverse mix of apple varieties to enable us to create interesting blends of both organic cider & apple juice. Both champion the apple, with no added nasties we believe in keeping things natural. You could say we manage our orchard in an unconventional way. We leave the grass in our orchard to grow wild throughout the year to encourage biodiversity, letting the insects & bees thrive. In nature we trust.
Selling our organic apple juice at farmers markets made us come to realise how many people had apple trees of their own. Often the fruit was going to waste and lying on the ground as there were simply too many apples or pears to stew or share with friends and family. With the infrastructure in place for our own apple juice, in 2011, we launched our apple pressing service to help put a stop to this waste. In that first year we pressed a handful of batches from apple trees all over Buckinghamshire. We have steadily grown since and are happy to say we press apples from gardens & orchards as far away as North Wales & Kent.
If you have your own apple or pear tree you can find out more about our apple pressing service page to turn your crop of apples into your very own bottles of juice that lasts for up to 2 years.
