, as served in a
pub The Thatchers company was founded by William Thatcher in 1904. His son Stanley Thatcher, born in 1910, began selling draught cider to
pubs in
Somerset and the company's presence in the area grew. The company is still family owned and employs around 200 people. In 1992 Martin took over from his father, John Thatcher, as managing director. It has 500 acres of its own
orchard, Trained on wires, this enables easier harvesting and also helps to ensure the fruit has the optimum combination of sunlight and rain. It has also led to the development of a new bespoke harvester. At the height of season, Thatchers can press 500 tonnes of apples per day. Thatchers also maintains an exhibition orchard in which over 458 different varieties of apple tree are grown. In addition to its cider production, Myrtle Farm is the UK's biggest processor of
blackcurrants, dealing with 90 per cent of the UK's total crop, which it processes on behalf of
Ribena. == Sponsorships ==