What has been the key factor to growing your business? 

“The path we chose to go down, being the cloudy cider, was (at the time) one of the few out there. There’s a few more now, but at the time we were unique in having a cloudy-style cider. People knew a Strongbow-style, clear cider, and it stood out from the ‘norm’.”

Who is your ideal customer? 

“People who appreciate quality and flavour; someone with a more discerning take on life who’s looking for a quality product with full flavour.”

What has been the key factor to growing your business? 

“We were extremely privileged to have Dad start this business at the beginning of the cider boom, which has certainly helped us along. We’re vertically integrated: Ashton Valley Fresh does as well as it does because Ceravolo Orchards and the other local orchards support it.  

Joseph and I work hard because we want it to be a success – we need it to be a success for Ceravolo Orchards and the other local growers. We want everyone to be sustainable and to be able to grow their apples in the future and we’re part of that chain.” 

Who is your ideal customer? 

“Someone who is conscious of quality and happy to pay for that quality. They have their mind turned towards sustainability; we don’t produce anything in plastic because it’s not sustainable and that’s not aligned with our brand values. 

They are someone who has a discerning taste because every litre of juice that comes out of the plant is essentially balanced to perfection. We don’t put out anything we wouldn’t drink ourselves, and we have high standards.” 

 What’s been the key factor to growing your business? 

“We always get out there and go to a lot of markets for people to try it, and once they try our jam they can see the different between what you get in supermarkets to what you get from a homemade blend.” 

Who is your ideal customer? 

“Someone who bases quality before price. Being homemade and using local products doesn’t make it the cheapest product, but it does make it the tastiest. People say, “wow you can really taste the fruit!” and you can because it’s actually in there compared to a supermarket brand.” 

What do customers love about your jams? 

“That full-bodied, fruity taste. Once you’ve had it and tasted how good it is there’s no going back. We cook in small batches which keeps that taste so strong.” 

In your opinion, what makes your cider extra special?

“It is the most natural a product can get.

With my background in wine-making, I make it in the white-wine style of clean, fresh, fruit-driven, well-balanced acid. It’s just an all-round easy drinking cider at a price that competes with the commercial brands that make their ciders from imported concentrate. We support farmers, Australian produce, and the opportunity we have with cider is the ability to buy 100% of the fruit that comes off the orchards.

We can let our growers sell all their A-grade fruit, and then we can take anything at a lower quality because it doesn’t matter what it looks like, it still makes magnificent juice!

The recent hailstorms are a great example of the positive impact the Hills Cider brand can have on the local farming industry as the hail-damaged fruit that would usually go to waste can be used to make our cider.

It provides the economics of being able to guarantee our growers the ability to sell 100% of the fruit that comes off their orchards. The more cider we drink, the more apples we’ll buy, and the more jobs we create from the sales.

“It’s a very small micro-climate with the right mix of sunshine, warmth and cool night time temperatures that all contribute to growing a really good apple.”

Noel says that when eating an Adelaide Hills apple, consumers can expect a piece of fruit grown with passion and dedication in a really great environment, producing that beautiful taste and crunch every time.

The team farm across 20 hectares and grow Galas, Granny Smiths, Fujis and Pink Lady, as well as some of the newer varieties including Jazz, Envy, Bravo and Red Love.

Having tried many apples around the world, Craig firmly believes South Australia grows a very good, crisp, crunchy apple – this is the first thing he understands people want to experience.

“South Australia is the ideal location for growing the crisp and crunchy apples that everyone enjoys. The cold, dewy mornings and the warm sunny days help make the colour and crispness.”

Craig is always striving to do better and has a continual thirst for learning.

“You’ve never finished learning and it’s always interesting to see how other people are adapting to challenges and harnessing opportunities.”

“When we install equipment that improves efficiencies, decreases waste or allows us to add value and become more sustainable, that is honestly the most satisfying part of my job,” she says.

“When we find innovative solutions to problems – Joseph and I are big problem solvers – and that’s what we really enjoy.”

Joyce says the biggest challenge they have with farming in the Hills to bring consumers great tasting fruit is weather conditions – among the hailstorms, some apples also get sunburnt. Netting, however, is a game changer.

“It prevents sun burn, majority of hail damage and evaporation of irrigation water by more than 50%. It allows for an environment where the temperature is quite constant, forming a mini-micro climate under the net.”

The Ceravolo’s also use all the latest technologies in irrigation and drones for tracking crops.

As a grower, how important is the consumer to Tim?

Tim points out that with no consumers there is no business growth.

“We must sustain best practises and be aware of our markets so that we continue to deliver the needs of our market,” he says.

“We are forever re-inventing our product. When I came home a lot of our orchard was more than 30 years old; now we have more intensive plantings that are less than 10 years old.”

Michael finds Mother Nature and her variable elements difficult sometimes; they’ve just gone through a rough, dry spell and before that was the hail storms.

To adapt to these changing weather conditions and new technology, Michael and his dad have started to put up nets. They also now use different root stocks that grow smaller trees, allowing the grower to plant more trees per hectare and getting back into production a lot quicker when changing varieties.

“The change of irrigation from the old aluminium pipes to what we call mini-sprinklers, or drip irrigation, has been a big change as well,” he says.

Michael has two sons aged 14 and 18, the eldest having just started university. Michael is keen to see his children receive a tertiary education before getting into the family business of “growing.”