When your family has been perfecting the art of putting fruit behind glass for nearly six decades, you develop certain standards. At Biddenden Vineyards, Kent's original vineyard established in 1969, those standards apply equally whether we're crafting award-winning English wines, ciders, or our premium juice collection.
This year marks a significant milestone for our juice range. After two decades, we've unveiled a comprehensive rebrand that introduces three new British flavours alongside completely redesigned packaging. But while the bottles may look different, what's inside represents the same unwavering commitment to quality that has defined Biddenden since my grandparents first planted vines in Kent soil.
The rebranded collection features six distinctive juices, with apple serving as our golden thread throughout – a tribute to Kent's orchard heritage and our deep understanding of this quintessential English fruit. Three new additions showcase our expertise: Sparkling Apple, Strawberry & Mint; Sparkling Apple & Grape; and an evolved Apple & Pear that harmoniously pairs Kentish apples with orchard-ripe Kentish pears.
Two decades from our last packaging overhaul, we felt the time was right for a comprehensive rebrand that brings a modern twist to our beloved juice collection while staying true to the quality our customers have trusted for years. But a rebrand is only as good as what's in the bottle. So let me take you through our process – from Kent orchards to your fridge – and explain how three generations of winemaking and cider-making expertise shapes every glass.
THE KENT CONNECTION: SOURCING OUR FRUIT
Everything starts in the orchard. For Biddenden, that means Kent orchards – and that's non-negotiable. Every bottle of our juice contains 100% Kentish fruit, supporting British growers and ensuring we capture the authentic taste of our region.
We work with three to four local growers across Kent – a mix of smaller family-run operations who can supply varieties that are harder to come by, and larger growers who deliver the consistent quantities we need to meet demand. Most of these relationships have remained consistent over the last twenty years. In this business, relationships are everything.
Our apple varieties include Bramley, Cox, Russet, Gala, Braeburn, Worcester, Howgate, and Pink Lady® – though the actual blends remain a closely guarded family secret. We've spent years refining these profiles, understanding how different varieties contribute to the final flavour. For strawberries, we work with local Kent growers, and around Wimbledon there's an abundance of fruit, so we make the most of this, pressing and freezing the berries ready to incorporate into our blends later. Freezing is key – there's no flavour loss. For pears, we source directly from a particular grower, favouring Comice and Conference varieties.
All relationships are built on trust. The growers we work with generally supply supermarkets, so quality standards are already high. What's interesting is that juice fruit often comes from wonky, too-small, or too-large fruit that supermarkets won't take. We're repurposing this fruit and adding value for the grower – fruit that might otherwise go to waste becomes something families enjoy at their dinner tables.
We hold SALSA certification as a business and have maintained this for several years. Most retailers ask for some form of validation, and SALSA meets our requirements for the size of our business. It lays out good procedures to work with and allows our contract customers to work with this accreditation too.
The decision to use only fresh Kentish fruit rather than concentrate isn't just about quality – though that's certainly part of it. It's about authenticity and traceability. For our estate-grown grapes in the new Sparkling Apple & Grape juice, we have complete control from vine to bottle. This integration of our winemaking and juice-making allows us to apply viticultural expertise to every stage.
THE PRESSING PROCESS: WINEMAKING AND CIDER-MAKING MEETS JUICE-MAKING
Our winemaking and cider-making heritage profoundly influences how we approach juice production. The same attention to detail, the same understanding of fruit, the same commitment to capturing the pure essence of what we grow – it all applies.
We run a Voran double belt press, though we're rapidly outgrowing its capabilities. We press around six tons of fruit per hour for apples, around three tons per hour for pears, and around two tons per hour for soft fruit like strawberries and raspberries. The double belt press allows us to take juice fractions similar to when pressing grapes for sparkling wine – this was a key requirement when sourcing this equipment. Taking those winemaking skills into the juicing environment has carved our own path in the juice world and separates us from other juice producers.
For grapes, we use a Vaslin Bucher press – the same process we use for our wines. It's very gentle, operating over a three-hour cycle. It works by processing whole bunch fruit and pressing gently against a bag in a cylinder – a completely different process to the apple processing equipment. Everything happens at Biddenden. We have full control of our process from sourcing to delivery.
All fruit arrives on site either through our transport partners or our own transport. Every piece is washed before entering the mill, arriving in bins ready for processing. As the bins are tipped into the pre-wash, a member of the Biddenden team is on hand to remove anything that doesn't meet our requirements.
One aspect that sets our approach apart is that we never blend in concentrate or artificial ingredients. What you taste is pure pressed juice – nothing more, nothing less.
CRAFTING THE NEW FLAVOURS: DEVELOPMENT & BLENDING
Creating new juice flavours draws on similar skills to winemaking and cider-making – understanding how different fruits interact, balancing sweetness and acidity, building complexity and depth.
The new Sparkling Apple, Strawberry & Mint represents both innovation and inspiration from our existing product range. The flavour profile draws directly from our award-winning Biddies Strawberry Mint Cider – the winner of our 2024 Challenge Tom competition. This 4% medium cider, crafted from Kentish apples and strawberries infused with freshly picked local mint, has excelled in popularity since its launch. Bringing a non-alcoholic option of this flavour profile to market was a natural progression, allowing the whole family to enjoy these sophisticated, quintessentially British flavours.
The Sparkling Apple & Grape showcases the unique advantage of being both a vineyard and a juice producer. Using our estate-grown English grapes alongside crisp apples creates an elegant sparkling option.
Our evolved Apple & Pear replaces the previous Pear Juice, and this change was strategic – designed to strengthen the collection's cohesion. By bringing apple into the core of this product, the entire range now utilises apple as a central flavour profile, creating that golden thread throughout our juice offering. The pairing of Kentish apples with orchard-ripe Kentish pears delivers a smoother, more rounded flavour that complements the wider collection beautifully.
BOTTLING & PRESENTATION: THE FINAL STAGE
The journey from orchard to bottle culminates in our packaging – and this rebrand gave us the opportunity to ensure the outside finally matches what we've perfected inside.
The new bottle shapes are designed to be practical – the 1-litre format fits perfectly in fridge doors for family meals, while the 250ml bottles are ideal for individual enjoyment at restaurants, pubs, or picnics.
Working collaboratively with Kent designer Tom Boucher, we developed a design concept rooted in four key pillars. First, Heritage, Reputation & Relationships – celebrating our deep-rooted legacy, trusted reputation, and strong partnerships with local growers. Second, Provenance & Experience – emphasising the journey from field to glass and offering consumers a true taste of the Kent countryside. Third, Quality & Accessibility – balancing premium quality with inclusive, crowd-pleasing juices. And finally, Innovation & Sustainability – honouring the full potential of fruit through inventive thinking, expert craft, and bold experimentation.
The new labels give subtle nods to our heritage and location. The front outline on each bottle showcases Kent's county borders – a quiet declaration of provenance. Our "Heart of the Garden" tagline appears on all bottles, alongside a motif depicting the Biddenden Maids – a pair of conjoined twins born in Biddenden in 1100, who are the visual identity of our village. These design details create an immediate connection to place and story, making it clear that these aren't just juices – they're Kent in a bottle.
SUPPORTING BRITISH PRODUCERS & LOOKING AHEAD
Every bottle of Biddenden juice supports British farmers, fruit growers and producers. In an era of global supply chains, we believe there's something valuable about products that taste of a specific place – in our case, Kent. When you choose Biddenden juice, you're supporting not just our family business, but the network of Kent growers we've worked with for decades. You're choosing fruit that might otherwise have gone to waste, simply because it wasn't the "right" shape for a supermarket shelf. And you're choosing authenticity – real juice from real fruit, grown in real Kent orchards.
Launching this rebrand during Dry January feels particularly timely. The premium soft drinks and low/no alcohol markets are experiencing remarkable growth. Premium non-alcoholic options like sparkling waters, flavoured tonics, and mocktails are gaining popularity among health-conscious customers seeking sophistication, with more and more adults actively moderating their alcohol intake. The low and no-alcohol segment is particularly dynamic, and this shift reflects a lasting change in lifestyle choices rather than a temporary trend.
For Biddenden, our winemaking and cider-making heritage positions us perfectly to meet this demand. We understand how to create sophisticated, complex flavour profiles that offer genuine drinking experiences – not just sugary alternatives. We've spent decades learning how fruits interact, how to balance acidity and sweetness, how to capture freshness in a bottle. Those skills translate directly to creating juices that satisfy adult palates while remaining accessible enough for the whole family.
As we enter this new year at Biddenden, this rebrand represents both evolution and continuity. The Barnes family's third generation is bringing fresh perspective while staying true to the principles my grandparents established in 1969: quality, provenance, and putting the very best of Kent into every bottle. The juices may look different now, but the commitment remains the same – capturing Kent's orchards in glass, one bottle at a time.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
The Rebranded Collection:
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Apple & Pear Juice (NEW)
Available in: 1-litre and 250ml bottles
Where to find: Biddenden estate shop, biddendenvineyards.com, and selected venues across Kent and the Southeast
January offer: Free delivery on all juice orders throughout January. On full cases only, including mixed pack tasting boxes.
