The story of ‘The Hills’ Cider Company
On Australia Day 2010, Steve Dorman and Tobias Kline launched The Hills Cider Company. Their goal: to produce Australia’s best cider.
The search for Australia’s highest quality fruit led Steve and Tobias to their own backyard, the Adelaide Hills. The Adelaide Hills was chosen because it is known for its generations of apple and pear growers. After a number of years experimenting with different fruit varieties, blends and styles, The Hills Cider Company finally launched their now renowned, awarded and nationally distributed range of ciders.
Celebrating Australian farmers
From the outset, it was considered very important for Hills Cider to be produced in a way that celebrated and supported Australian farmers. In a sea of ciders made from imported juice concentrate, artificial flavours and colours, The Hills Cider Company stands out from the pack. As a result, all products made by The Hills Cider Company utilise only 100% fresh, Australian grown fruit. All the fruit that goes into The Hills is sourced exclusively from the renowned, cool climate Adelaide Hills, with absolutely nothing added. This dedication to supporting Australian farmers means the success of The Hills Cider Company therefore has significant benefits for the local economy, its farmers, businesses and communities.
A ‘land to hand’ approach
The Hills Cider Company is one of only a handful of cider producers in Australia that maintain a ‘land to hand’ approach to every stage of production. The brewers work closely with their fruit growers in orchard management, instilling labour intensive processes that provide the ultimate growing conditions for the quality of fruit they desire. Furthermore, all of the fruit is hand-selected and hand-picked, therefore ensuring the balance and quality of the fruit meets stringent specifications.
Throughout production, intervention with the fruit is kept to a minimum. This ensures the integrity and freshness of the fruit at every step of the process. Fruit is crushed and filtered cold, after which the fermentation is immediately commenced. Commencing fermentation straight after crushing ensures that the ferment retains its flavour and structure. As a result, all of the delicate fruit aromatics are well-preserved. This process is undertaken in small batches on a weekly basis, in order to guarantee the freshness of The Hills Cider Company product. This is the equivalent of doing a small vintage every week, but it is this dedication to quality control that has seen Hills ciders become the most highly awarded and regarded in Australia.
The Hills Cider Company Philosophy
Steve and Tobias’ dedication to producing crisp, fresh, fruit driven ciders from 100% fresh apples and pears has been enthusiastically supported by their customer base. The consumer market is now eager to support an independent, Australian owned company crafting a cider that helps celebrates all of our Aussie farmers. They believe in supporting local – from the farmers that grow the fruit to the pubs that pour the cider.
The Hills philosophy is simple—support Australian, drink Australian.
Accolades and Awards
Since the inception of the company in 2010, The Hills has achieved outstanding recognition as a benchmark for Australian cider. This recognition in turn placed it at the forefront of the industry. This support from some of the industry’s leading voices has been strengthened with an impressive list of awards, including 3 years Best Pear Cider and 2013 Champion Australian Perry at the Australian Cider Awards, plus back to back Gold Medal and Best Cider in Show at the 2013 and 2014 Perth Royal Show. The company’s most exciting win to date was taking Champion in Show at the 2013 Australian Cider Awards. The team were humbled to be the first ever Australian cider producer to take out the top spot.
The Hills Cider and The Westport Club
The Hills Cider is available on the menu at Jimmy’s Bar & Lounge. You can choose between the Hills Apple and Pear Ciders. The Westport Club is passionate about supporting local farmers and therefore has committed to using local produce. We are therefore proud to be working in collaboration with The Hills. We believe any business that is working with locals deserves support!
Come and try The Hills
On Friday 22 September John from The Hills Cider will be at Jimmy’s Bar and Lounge for ‘Fridays Done Right’. Come and meet John from 5.30pm and try some samples of The Hills. John is also happy to answer any questions you have about The Hills. ‘Fridays Done Right‘ is held at Jimmy’s Bar & Lounge from 5.30pm – 7.30pm each Friday. Jimmy’s Bar and Lounge is located at The Westport Club in Port Macquarie. In addition to enjoying a great cider, you can also enjoy a gourmet cheese platter to complement your cider. So, Jimmy’s Bar & Lounge is the place to be every Friday!