Cider Apples New Zealand

What Cider Apples New Zealand does

Cider Apples New Zealand Limited is a Hamilton-based horticultural company founded in 2021 that operates a proprietary cider apple breeding programme under the PURE brand. The company develops and licenses dedicated cider cultivars — varieties purpose-bred for cider production rather than adapted from dessert or dual-purpose fruit — and currently has four named releases in market: PURE Blossom (PremA021), PURE Blush (Red48), PURE Solstice (AG8), and PURE Queen bee (ABGS0708). The breeding operation is led by co-founder Allan White, whose prior commercial cultivar work includes Jazz, Envy, and Rockit, with John Powell as co-founder and Chris Wilcock as General Manager overseeing commercialisation.

The technical core of the business is a structured cross-breeding and selection pipeline that combines traditional horticultural evaluation with high-throughput screening to identify cultivars with the tannin, acidity, sugar, and aromatic profiles that commercial cidermakers require. Each cultivar carries a discrete varietal identifier, consistent with plant variety rights protection, and is positioned under a unified PURE trade-marked series. The product surface spans the cider-production value chain from orchard input (plant material, licensing) through to brand activation with end consumers.

The business monetises primarily through cultivar licensing agreements and royalties on fruit produced by licensed orchards, supplemented by promotional activity to drive pull-through demand at the cidery and consumer level. The Cider Factorie, a New Zealand craft cidermaker, has adopted PURE Blossom and used it to win Gold at the New Zealand Cider Awards, providing an early commercial proof point. The company has begun extending its reach beyond New Zealand through Shanghai-based popup events targeting international cider markets.

Name

Cider Apples New Zealand

Legal name

Cider Apples New Zealand Limited

Website

https://ciderapplesnz.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Cider Apples New Zealand Limited is a Hamilton-based horticultural company that breeds and licenses proprietary cider-specific apple cultivars (the PURE series) for commercial cider producers in New Zealand and selected international markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Apple Cultivar Breeding and Licensing

NAICS

Apple Orchards (111331)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Cider & Perry Production (AFAFAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pome Fruit Orchards (Apples, Pears, Quinces) (AFAGACAB), Cider & Perry Producers & Brands (CRADAIAE)

Keywords

• Cider apple cultivars
• Premium cider production
• Apple breeding programme
• Cultivar licensing
• Orchard fruit varieties

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamilton

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Operations

Revenue model

1. Cultivar Licensing: Revenue generated through licensing proprietary cider apple cultivars to commercial growers and cider producers. The company provides unique cider apple cultivars as 'the cidermaker's premium toolbox' to drive global cider growth.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cider Apples New Zealand develops and licenses proprietary cider apple cultivars bred specifically for premium cider production. Its PURE series — PURE Blossom, PURE Blush, PURE Solstice, and PURE Queen bee — delivers distinctive aromatics, tannin structures, and flavour profiles to commercial cidermakers globally, enabling differentiated premium cider products with authentic New Zealand provenance.

Product overview

Cider Apples New Zealand Limited operates a world-leading cider apple breeding programme that has developed proprietary apple cultivars for premium cider production. Their portfolio includes four PURE series apple varieties: PURE Blossom (PremA021), PURE Blush (Red48), PURE Solstice (AG8), and PURE Queen bee (ABGS0708). Each cultivar is bred to deliver specific aromatic profiles, tannin structures, and flavor characteristics (such as floral aromatics, minerality, wild honey notes, or berry forward profiles) that enable commercial cidermakers to produce distinctive premium ciders. The company licenses these cultivars to cidermakers, positioning them as the cidermaker's premium toolbox to drive global growth in the premium cider category.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PURE Blossom: Luscious pink fleshed apple (PremA021) producing cider with fragrant aroma reminiscent of spring blossom, with nectarine and peach palate notes and long satisfying finish.
• PURE Blush
• PURE Solstice
• PURE Queen bee

Products and services

• PURE Blossom (PremA021)

Quantifiable outcome

• NZ Cider Awards Gold Medal for The Cider Factorie's Aporo' Secco 2025 using PURE Blossom apples

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• T&G Global: Large New Zealand-headquartered fresh produce company that owns and globally markets proprietary apple varieties including Jazz and Envy. Comparable because T&G commercialises the same apple cultivars Allan White developed, demonstrating the scale of value capture possible in branded apple IP licensing.
• Aspall Cyder: Long-established Suffolk-based cidermaker with its own orchards and proprietary juice blends, owned by Molson Coors. Comparable as a premium cidermaker with vertically integrated apple supply that could be either a target customer for PURE cultivars or a competitive benchmark for premium positioning.
• Thatchers Cider: Established UK family-owned cidermaker with its own orchards and apple varieties, including own-root heritage and selected bittersweet cultivars. Comparable as a major commercial cidermaker that represents both a potential licensing customer and a competitor with deep in-house cultivar expertise.
• Kopparbergs Bryggeri: Large Swedish fruit-cider producer whose berry-led ciders have driven international premium cider growth. Comparable as a major commercial cider brand that represents both a potential route-to-market for differentiated apple cultivars and a benchmark for what 'premium cider success' looks like at scale.
• C&C Group: Irish-listed multinational beverages group whose portfolio includes Bulmers/Magners, the largest premium cider brands in the UK and Ireland. Comparable as the largest premium cider incumbent whose global brand-building could either create demand for differentiated apple genetics or sideline smaller cultivar innovators.

Direct peers

• Bloom Fresh International: Global fruit-breeding and variety licensing company (formerly International Fruit Genetics) developing and licensing proprietary table grape, cherry, and apple cultivars. Closely comparable to Cider Apples New Zealand in its asset-light model of breeding differentiated fruit varieties and licensing IP to commercial growers worldwide.
• Special New Fruit Licensing (SNFL): Spain-headquartered fruit breeding and licensing company that develops, manages, and globally licenses proprietary table grape and other fruit varieties. Highly comparable in business model — an upstream IP company that breeds differentiated cultivars and licenses them to commercial growers worldwide.
• Prevar Limited: New Zealand-based apple and pear breeding joint venture developing commercial pipfruit cultivars for global licensing. Highly comparable as a fellow NZ-focused fruit breeding and IP licensing company targeting commercial growers, although Prevar's portfolio is broader (fresh market apples and pears) rather than cider-specific.

Emerging players

• Plant & Food Research: New Zealand Crown Research Institute conducting pipfruit and other horticultural breeding programmes, including work on cider apple varieties. Comparable as the most prominent NZ-based source of apple breeding expertise that Cider Apples New Zealand implicitly competes with or partners alongside for cultivar development.

Regional players

• Yummy Fruit Company: New Zealand apple grower and marketer with proprietary licensed varieties sold under consumer-facing brands. Comparable as another NZ-based operator commercialising differentiated apple genetics, although Yummy is downstream in the value chain (growing, packing, marketing) rather than upstream breeding.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Cider Apples New Zealand