100% AUSTRALIAN GROWN TRUST MARK

Authenticity is important to our industry. So we have developed a trust mark to call out what makes Australian craft ciders unique – the fact they are made with 100% Australian grown apples or pears.

The trust mark may be displayed on ciders made from 100% Australian grown ingredients. It is only available to members of Cider Australia to ensure the ciders meet a minimum industry quality standard.

By choosing ciders that display the trust mark, you are supporting Australian fruit growers and their regional communities and boosting Australian jobs in the craft cider industry.

ABOUT THE TRUST MARK

We believe that cider drinkers should be able to find out where the fruit in a cider comes from. As this is difficult with the information currently provided on labels, we set out to make it easier to identify if a cider contains Australian fruit.
The trust mark is an industry-led and owned initiative. It is part of a larger campaign to build a sustainable craft cider industry in Australia and establish an export market for local brands.
This trust mark has been developed with the support of levy funds from the Australian Apple Marketing Levy, managed by Hort Innovation, and the Australian Government’s $50 million Export and Regional Wine Support Package which is funding initiatives to help market and grow Australian craft cider internationally. The trust mark was launched on 5 October 2018.

Members of Cider Australia can apply to use the trust mark to signify that their cider is made from 100% Australian grown fruit. The trust mark may be used on labels and other packaging, marketing collateral, websites, taps and other materials in relation to products made with 100% Australian grown fruit. You can help promote the trust mark by using the social media tools package provided to our members.

Eligibility

The trust mark may only be used on a product containing 1.15% ABV or above if:

• 100% of the apples and apple juice concentrate and pears and pear juice concentrate used in its production were grown in Australia (note it is a requirement of our Trade Mark that any ingredients that are 'grown' - such as fruits, vegetables or spices - must be grown in Australia)
• it is defined as a cider or a fruit wine under Standard 2.7.3 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code
• it contains at least 50% minimum apple and/or pear juice by weight, and
• it does not contain added ethyl alcohol.

The trust mark can be used on a low-alcohol (less than 1.15% ABV) or alcohol free product if:

• 100% of the apples and apple juice concentrate and pears and pear juice concentrate used in its production was grown in Australia (note that any ingredients that are 'grown' – such as fruits, vegetables or spices – must be grown in Australia)
• it contains at least 50% minimum apple and/or pear juice by weight, and
• it does not contain added ethyl alcohol.
• 
  

How to apply

To use the logo, you must be a member of Cider Australia and enter into a licensing agreement with Cider Australia. For further information get in touch. 

FAQs

Why did you develop this trust mark?
Authenticity is important to our industry. We believe that cider drinkers should be able to easily identify where the fruit in a cider comes from. This is difficult or impossible with the information currently provided on labels. The trust mark calls out what makes Australian craft ciders unique – the fact they are made with 100% Australian grown apples or pears.
By choosing ciders that display the trust mark, you are supporting Australian fruit growers and their regional communities and boosting Australian jobs in the craft cider industry. You will also be assured that the cider is made with Australian grown fruit that meets Australia’s strict food safety, health and other regulatory requirements.

Isn’t all Australian cider made from Australian grown fruit?
No, the juice in a cider can be freshly pressed from whole fruit (which is most likely to be Australian grown), or reconstituted from juice concentrate (which is most likely to be imported). We estimate around 85 per cent of the cider sold in Australia is made from imported concentrate!

How much Australian cider is made from Australian grown fruit?
Only 10 per cent of the cider sold in Australia is made from Australian grown fruit (IRI Worldwide, MAT to 02/02/2020, Off-premise value). A small share of the cider sold is imported cider of known juice authenticity (ie New Zealand cider made from fruit grown in New Zealand). The rest is cider produced in Australia using imported juice inputs, and these producers are not required to explicitly state where the juice originates. Few, if any, producers that use imported juice concentrate are honest about its origin, which would indicate that this is something producers do not like disclosing.

I've heard ‘concentrate’ mentioned, what does that mean and why do people use it?
Cider can be made with freshly pressed juice, or from juice concentrate. To make cider from juice concentrate, the concentrate is reconstituted by adding water and is then fermented. From a quality perspective, not all concentrate is equal. Great cider can be made from quality concentrate, particularly where cider apples are used. However the bulk of concentrate used in cider production in Australia is low quality, imported product. The trust mark can be used on ciders containing juice concentrate made from 100% Australian grown fruit, though at this time concentrating juice is not a common practice in Australia.

What can I do to help the cause?
You can help the cause by asking for ciders made with 100% Australian grown fruit.
If you are a bar, pub, restaurant or liquor retailer you can use the trust mark to promote Australian craft cider made from 100% Australian grown juice. You could display the trust mark on menus and beverage lists, on taps, on shelves or shelf-talkers, banners or holding special events. If you have any questions about which products are eligible to use the trust mark, contact Cider Australia.
You can also share the love on social media with hashtags such as #australiancider or #cideraustralia 

What can I do to help the cause?
You can help the cause by asking for ciders made with 100% Australian grown fruit.
If you are a bar, pub, restaurant or liquor retailer you can use the trust mark to promote Australian craft cider made from 100% Australian grown juice. You could display the trust mark on menus and beverage lists, on taps, on shelves or shelf-talkers, banners or holding special events. If you have any questions about which products are eligible to use the trust mark, contact Cider Australia.

Producers

How do you apply to use the trust mark?

1. Become a member of Cider Australia
2. Check that your ciders meet the product eligibility requirements
3. Apply to Cider Australia for permission to use the trust mark (email us) and enter into an agreement that sets out the terms of use.

After that, you can use the trust mark on eligible products in accordance with the Brand Guidelines. 

What ‘agreement’ do I need to enter into?
Users must enter into a licensing agreement with Cider Australia as we own the 100% Australian Grown Trade Mark. The licensing agreement between Cider Australia and users of the trust mark will set out the rules for use, including what happens if the trust mark is used incorrectly.

Why have product requirements?
These rules are designed to ensure the trust mark is used with integrity and that ciders displaying the trust mark meet a minimum industry quality standard. The primary purpose of the trust mark is to signify that a cider contains 100% Australian grown fruit. It would be misleading to use the trust mark on a product that does not contain entirely local juice so this must be a requirement. Adhering to the legal definition of cider is also an essential minimum requirement. We permit use of the trust mark on ciders that contains other ingredients such as fruits other than apples or pears, spices, honey and grain. These products are actually defined as a fruit wine rather than a cider under Australia laws, however, as long as at least half of the volume by weight is apple and/or pear juice, we allow the trust mark to be used.

What is cider Australia's position on the amount of juice required to be called a cider?
There is no legislated minimum juice content in Australia, unlike the UK, US and most other cider producing countries! Cider Australia believes 50% is an appropriate minimum standard to apply to all cider, and have decided to impose this requirement on ciders that use the trust mark. By doing this, we will ensure that any products that carry the trust mark meet minimum standards and local requirements if exported to the US.

Can the trust mark be displayed on fruit flavoured ciders or fruit wines?
Our intention with the trust mark is to promote ciders made with 100% Australian grown fruit. The Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code defines any cider containing non-apple/pear ingredients, such as cherry or ginger, as a ‘fruit wine’. As long as a product contains at least 50% minimum apple and/or pear juice by weight and all the ingredients are 100% Australian grown, we will permit the trust mark to be used.