ABOUT US
The Welsh Perry & Cider Society (WPCS) is a not-for-profit organisation registered as a Company Limited by Guarantee since 2009. It is a membership organisation managed by a board of directors who are voted in biennially by the members.
The WPCS has been raising the profile of real perry and cider since 2001, when it was set up by founder members Dave Matthews and Alan Golding. Since then the WPCS has cultivated an ever-growing crop of traditional cider and perry producers that now spans the length and breadth of Wales, and we aim to continue this trend by building projects to support the industry, its customers, and the heritage behind this to ensure we move forward and grow successfully.
In 2009 the WPCS was successful in securing funding from the Welsh Government to deliver a project which resulted in a number of initiatives to support Welsh craft cider makers. This included applying for PDO status for real Welsh cider and perry, which is now with the EU for consideration.
In 2014, the WPCS was granted development funding by the Heritage Lottery Fund to put together the final workings of a project that will provide support and guidance to community orchard owners and encourage the wider growth of Welsh cider apple and perry pear varieties. This work will build on the hugely successful Museum Orchard which we began planting back in 2006 at the Raglan Cider Mill in the heart of Monmouthshire.
The thousands of discerning drinkers that attend our annual festival at Caldicot Castle each May is a testament to craft cider's growing popularity throughout the UK, as well as across the Channel. By joining the WPCS you'll be helping us continue to promote the practice of traditional cider-making and the value of real Welsh perry and cider.
