The orchards are alive with activity, the trees are heavy with fruit, and the first chill of autumn is in the air. Across the Cotswolds and beyond, it's apple harvest time, and for us at Bensons Family Juicers, it’s the most exciting season of the year.
This is where every bottle begins. Long before it’s pressed and poured, our juice starts its journey in British orchards, tended by growers we’ve worked with for years. They know their trees like old friends, watching over them in frost, in blossom, in rain, and in shine. By the time harvest arrives, it feels less like work and more like a well-earned celebration of everything that has come before.
Harvest might look like picking fruit, but it is the result of months of care. In winter, growers prune branches, often in freezing conditions. By spring, the orchards are buzzing with bees as blossoms promise the fruit to come. Summer brings long days of watering and watching, making sure each apple develops just the right balance of sweetness and bite.
And then comes autumn. The apples are tested, tasted, and checked for ripeness. Once they are ready, harvest begins in earnest. Each apple picked at just the right moment, crisp, juicy, and bursting with flavour. It is a rhythm that has been repeated for generations, and it still feels just as special every year.
We always try to use British apples, pressed in the heart of the Cotswolds. British apples have a bright, refreshing character shaped by our climate and our soil. Sharp when you need them to be, sweet when you least expect it, and full of personality.
By prioritising British growers whenever we can, we support the people who care for these orchards and the countryside they are part of. Keeping things local helps protect traditional orchards and keeps food miles low. It is good for the growers, it is good for the countryside, and it makes for better juice.
From the moment the apples arrive at our press in the Cotswolds, they are treated with the same care. We keep things simple. No shortcuts, no concentrates, no added sugar. Just apples, pressed fresh, so the flavour speaks for itself.
That is the heart of what we do at Bensons Family Juicers. The best juice does not need extras; it just needs great fruit and people who care about it.
Harvest is more than just the busiest time of year. It is a reminder of why we do what we do. It is muddy boots in the orchard, the smell of ripe fruit in the air, the first taste of fresh-pressed juice that carries the whole season with it.
So here is to another year of British apples. To the growers who make it possible, to the orchards that give us their best, and to everyone who shares in the tradition by raising a glass.
If you want to taste the harvest for yourself, try our Cloudy Apple Juice. We always try to use British apples, pressed in the heart of the Cotswolds, to create juice that is simple, refreshing, and true to the season.
— Lexi