The idyllic dream that grew into a business
This heart warming story tells us:
Gavin Tait and Kevin Wood started planting a cider orchard as a way of filling a spare field. Pretty soon, they had a whole new business venture on their hands.
A group of friends gather around a Dorset dining table on a Sunday lunchtime in September five years ago. Through the window they see the pale autumn light playing on the 3½ acres of sward stretching from the cottage. Its delicate dance catches in the low mist, creating one of those quintessentially rustic scenes that are the beating heart of the British countryside.
“We really should do something with that field,” says commodities trader Gavin Tait, who owns both the house and land with his partner Kevin Wood. “It’s a waste for it to stand empty like that.” Then, by way of inspiration, he and his guests contemplate the roast pork and cider before them – and the genesis of the Donhead Apple Company soon emerges.
From office to orchard
“We decided in that moment to plant the acreage to apple trees,” says Mr Tait. “It started as a bit of a hobby, but I think we always planned that it would develop into a business. I remember sitting in my office in the City and fantasising about the time when I would be able to spend all day, every day, in the orchard. It’s great to be outdoors, growing things and making a wholesome, handcrafted product like cider.”
Mr Tait does occasionally still long for the cosy comfort of a high-rise executive suite. “I have to admit that pruning 800 apple trees in the middle of winter can be hard work,” he says.
“I remember sitting in my office in the City and fantasising about the time when I would be able to spend all day, every day, in the orchard”
“But then you have the joy of the harvest, the thrill of pressing what we’ve grown and letting it ferment – and finally the deep, unrivalled delight of sharing our creation with our customers, in local pubs and shops and via our internet store. That’s what it’s always been about: making a product of which we are proud, then selling it to the public.”