Thatchers will not be served at this year’s festival
Glastonbury organisers have announced that it will be changing its official cider provider for the first time in five years.
In a matter of months the fields of Worthy Farm will be packed full of thousands of festival-goers watching the likes of Stormzy, The Cure and The Killers performing headline slots, among many other acts on the bill, but there will be someone not there: Thatchers cider.
The popular cider has been served at the numerous bars scattered across Glastonbury since 2014, but this year they will not be there.
Martin Thatcher, who runs the cider company, said: “We’ve had a great time working with Glastonbury Festival over the past few years and we’ve become good friends with Michael and Emily Eavis.
“This year we won’t be there as the official cider to the festival, as partnerships like this do always change. We’ll be there in spirit though and if you’re lucky enough to have tickets, we wish everyone a fantastic time.”
Stormzy will take top billing on the Pyramid Stage on the Friday night at Glastonbury.
Going on to state that festival-goers will still be able to get their hands on Thatchers cider at “nearby supermarkets and of course throughout Bristol,” Thatcher added that the brand has a “really exciting spring and summer full of events ahead, especially here in the South West – including Valley Fest, Bristol International Balloon Fiesta and the Badminton Horse Trials, and we’ve also just announced our partnership with the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.”
While it’s not known exactly why Thatchers will no longer be served at Glastonbury, a replacement has been named.
Local to Glastonbury, Mallets Cider, which falls under the Brothers umbrella, is based in Shepton Mallet, will be the new official cider of the festival.
Mallets managing director, Matthew Showering, said: “We are honoured to return to Glastonbury once again with our ‘Cider for Gods’.
“We have been part of the festival for more than 20 years, having introduced Brothers cider to Glastonbury back in 1995, so the festival holds a special place in our hearts. We have worked extremely hard perfecting Mallets and this latest deal is testament to its quality; we can’t wait for the Glastonbury community to try it.”
“We feel it’s very important to have a local producer of cider at the festival,” said Michael Eavis of the cider change.
Commenting on the change, festival founder Michael Eavis said: “We feel it’s very important to have a local producer of cider at the festival, showcasing some of the best cider Somerset has to offer.
“Mallets is produced just a stone’s throw from the festival and we’re really looking forward to working with them. It tastes great and I’m sure our cider drinkers will love it. It’s already going down very well in the village Working Men’s Club!”
Meanwhile, Glastonbury raised more than £3 million from the last edition of the festival to give to good causes.
Each year, the Worthy Farm event raises funds for charities including Oxfam and Greenpeace. Organisers have been donating money made at the festival to charities and organisations they support since the 1980s.
The funds raised from the 2017 edition mark the first time that the festival has raised more than £3 million. In a statement, Michael and Emily Eavis confirmed that £2.35 million was given to their three “main supported organisations”, Oxfam, Greenpeace, and WaterAid.
The festival has also announced that single-use plastic bottles will not be available at the Glastonbury 2019.
The post “We feel it’s very important to have a local producer” – Glastonbury change cider provider for first time in five years appeared first on NME.
