Magners maker buys Orchard Pig

C&C, the drinks group that produces Magners cider, has acquired Somerset-based cider producer Orchard Pig it has been announced.

Orchard Pig is based in the Somerset town of Shepton Mallet, the same town in which C&C closed down its cider press in 2016 – with the loss of 120 jobs – in order to shift production to a site in Clonmel in County Tipperary in the Irish Republic.

The cider mill was saved in the end when it was bought by Brothers Drinks, another cider producer, in a move that saved 24 jobs at least.

Earlier this month it was announced that C&C had acquired the UK pub chain Admiral for £220 million.

The full details of the Orchard Pig sale were not disclosed.