cranes

What cranes does

Cranes Cider (legal entity Cranes Drinks Ltd) is a UK-based, founder-owned craft cider producer founded in 2013 by twin brothers Ben and Dan Ritsema while they were at university. The company makes a range of fruit-led ciders positioned around natural ingredients and lower sugar content relative to mainstream fruit ciders. The portfolio spans a Premium range (Premium Apple at 4.8% ABV and Wild English Berries at 3.4% ABV), an Ultra-Refreshing range at 3.4% ABV (Raspberries & Pomegranates, Blueberries & Apples, Cranberries & Limes, Lemons & Kumquats), a No & Low Alcohol range, and a Mulled range. Production is concentrated at the company's headquarters, Top Farm, Lower Road, Croydon, Cambridgeshire, which also hosts an Orchard Bar and Tours venue for on-site sales and brand experience.

Cranes sells through three channels: a direct-to-consumer e-commerce store (drinkcranes.shop), a wholesale/trade channel for retailers, bars and restaurants, and the on-site Orchard Bar. Marketing is concentrated in organic social (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn) plus YouTube, with no visible paid acquisition or content marketing program. The company has raised approximately $447K across two early-stage rounds (a Seedrs crowdfunding round in July 2016 and a follow-on in June 2018), remains privately held, and operates with 1-10 employees. Sustainability is an explicit brand pillar, with over 95% of packaging reported as recyclable and tree-planting activity published via Ecologi.

The business is a single-country, micro-scale consumer brand with a clear product thesis (natural, lower-sugar fruit cider) and a defensible founder narrative, but limited disclosed financials, no institutional capital beyond Seedrs crowdfunding, no patents, no awards, and no named trade customers in the available data. The company's investment-relevant risks are its small scale, dependence on a single UK site, narrow distribution evidence, and the absence of disclosed revenue or growth metrics.

Name

cranes

Legal name

Cranes Drinks Ltd

Website

https://drinkcranes.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cranes Cider is a UK-based, founder-owned craft cider producer making natural, lower-sugar fruit ciders across Premium, Ultra-Refreshing, No & Low Alcohol, and Mulled ranges, selling via DTC e-commerce, wholesale, and an on-site Orchard Bar in Cambridgeshire.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Premium Cider

NAICS

Wineries (312130), Beer, Wine, and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (4248)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Cider & Perry Producers & Brands (CRADAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cider & Perry Production (AFAFAAAD), Alcohol-Free & Low-Alcohol Beer/Wine/Spirits Production (AFAFAAAJ), Alcoholic Beverage Blending, Bottling & Private Label (Non-Distilling) (AFAFAAAH)

Keywords

• Fruit cider production
• Premium alcoholic cider
• Natural cider beverages
• Low sugar drinks
• Craft cider brand

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Beverage Sales: Direct sales of cider products to consumers through e-commerce and to trade customers (retailers, bars, restaurants) through wholesale channels. Product range includes Premium, Ultra-Refreshing, and No & Low Alcohol ciders.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cranes Cider manufactures and sells a portfolio of premium alcoholic ciders (primarily around 3.4–4.8% ABV) fermented from real fruit, including apples and cranberries combined with other fruit juices. The range spans Premium ciders, Ultra-Refreshing fruit ciders, No & Low Alcohol options, and seasonal Mulled ciders, sold direct-to-consumer via the drinkcranes.shop online store, through wholesale trade partnerships, and at the company's on-site Orchard Bar/Tours in Cambridgeshire. Products are positioned as natural, lower-sugar alternatives to mainstream fruit ciders.

Product overview

Cranes Cider is a UK-based cider company founded by twin brothers Ben and Dan during their university days. The company produces a portfolio of refreshingly natural ciders made using only real fruit. The product lineup is organized into four distinct ranges: the Premium Range (featuring Premium Apple at 4.8% ABV and Wild English Berries at 3.4% ABV), the Ultra-Refreshing Range (offering fruit-forward ciders at 3.4% ABV including Raspberries & Pomegranates, Blueberries & Apples, Cranberries & Limes, and Lemons & Kumquats), the No & Low Alcohol Range (providing reduced or no alcohol options without compromising on flavour), and the Mulled Range (seasonal warm cider offerings). All products emphasize natural ingredients, lower sugar content compared to mainstream fruit ciders, and traditional cider-making craftsmanship with modern appeal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Premium Apple Cider

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Aspall Suffolk Cyder: UK premium cidermaker owned by Molson Coors, producing a range of ciders from a Suffolk orchard. Competes with Cranes in the premium/real-fruit segment of UK cider.
• Thatchers Cider: Family-owned UK craft/premium cider producer with a Somerset orchard base, multi-range portfolio (including No & Low alcohol variants), and a similar DTC plus trade plus orchard experience model. Closest UK analogue to Cranes' positioning and structure.
• Sheppy's Cider: Independent UK family cidermaker with a Somerset orchard, offering traditional and fruit ciders plus a low-alcohol range. Comparable to Cranes as a multi-generation craft UK cidermaker with orchard-based brand story.
• Cornish Orchards: UK craft cider producer based in Cornwall offering traditional and fruit ciders plus a No & Low range, with its own orchard. Directly comparable to Cranes on craft positioning and multi-range portfolio.
• Old Mout Cider: New Zealand-origin fruit-flavoured cider brand established in the UK with flavours including berries and citrus. Comparable to Cranes on fruit-forward positioning and ABV in the 3.4%-4.0% range.
• Kopparberg: Swedish-origin fruit-forward cider brand widely distributed in the UK, with a portfolio that includes berry and citrus flavours at low ABV. Closest direct competitor to Cranes' Ultra-Refreshing fruit-cider positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Strongbow: Heineken-owned mass-market UK cider brand and the country's largest cider by volume. Sets the mainstream benchmark that Cranes explicitly positions against on sugar and ingredient quality.
• Bulmers: HP Bulmer (now owned by Heineken) is one of the UK's biggest mainstream cider brands, with a broad fruit and traditional range. Represents the dominant incumbent that Cranes must displace in trade and on-premise listings.
• Henry Westons Vintage Cider: Long-established UK family cidermaker with a broad portfolio across premium, mainstream, and fruit ciders, producing at much greater scale than Cranes. Comparable as a wider-market UK cider competitor.

Emerging players

• Angry Orchard: Boston Beer Company-owned US craft cider brand with a portfolio of traditional and fruit ciders. Comparable as a craft cider brand targeting younger, premium-seeking consumers, though operating in the US rather than UK market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@cranescider
• Facebookfacebook.com/Cranesdrinks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cranes-drink-ltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/cranescider
• Xx.com/drinkcranes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about cranes