Lydia and Tom of Artistraw are natural cider makers and small holders based just outside the twisty little book filled town of Hay on Wye, nestled in the wild Welsh marches on the sun soaked slopes at the foot of the Black Mountains. With previous careers in theatre costume and science (green energy and solar cell research and development) and a shared love of the planet, art and excellent booze, they found themselves perfectly equipped to join forces and launch Artistraw back in 2017.

Both passionate environmentalists, making cider seemed like a natural fit, and indeed something Tom had been doing each season since 2003! From caring for and restoring ancient orchards to protecting old varieties by grafting them and planting them into their own orchard, they believe cider making offers endless ways to make a positive difference to the Earth.

Artistraw make natural cider. That means no adding of sugar, water or sulphites. The cider is also unpasteurized and fermented spontaneously using the apples’ wonderful wild yeasts. Tom and Lydia only use fruit that the two of them have handpicked from unsprayed, biodiversity rich, traditional standard orchards and are as local to them as possible.  They’re also super proud to be the first UK cidery to publish the carbon emissions associated with each bottle of cider.

All of the label artwork and graphic design is done in house by Lydia and stuck to the bottles using an up-cycled, and crucially, plastic free glue invented by Tom. They take an equal share in the orcharding and cider making, although if asked, each will tell you they are the chief cider maker!