Sep 09, 2026

Rooted in British Farming

There are a few things that have always been part of life at Bensons: the Cotswolds, plenty of apples and a very close connection to British farming.

So, with Back British Farming Day coming up, it feels like a good time to celebrate the farmers and growers behind so much of what we do, and to look back at the farming roots that have been part of Bensons from the very beginning.

It all started with a juice press

Back in 1999, Lexi and Bean spotted an old juice press on Bean’s father’s farm and decided to see what they could do with it.

Back home in the Cotswolds, they bought six barrels of mixed English apples from local fruit farmers, packed them up and headed north to the family farm to start pressing. What began as a bit of an experiment quickly turned into something more, and before long they were bottling the juice, loading it into an old horsebox and taking it to festivals and farmers’ markets.

After selling out on the first day at WOMAD Festival, Bensons was well and truly on its way.

From the beginning, the idea was about more than making great juice. Lexi and Bean wanted to build a family business that supported British farming and the countryside they loved, and more than 25 years later, that is still a big part of who we are.

Farmers turned juicers

Today, you’ll still find Bensons based on a National Trust farm in the heart of the Cotswolds, surrounded by farmland, changing seasons and plenty of reminders of where our ingredients begin.

As second-generation farmers turned juicers, we understand that producing great fruit takes time, experience and a lot of hard work. British growers have the weather, the seasons and each individual harvest to work with, caring for their crops throughout the year before the fruit is finally ready to be picked.

That understanding is one of the reasons the relationships we have with our growers matter so much. We like knowing where our fruit comes from and who has grown it, and wherever we can, we’re proud to keep British growers at the heart of the Bensons story.

British apples at the heart of it

Apples are where it all began for Bensons, and they are still at the heart of so many of our drinks today.

We work closely with British apple farmers, using varieties including Gala, Braeburn and Jonagold, each bringing its own balance of flavour to the juice.

There is something particularly lovely about British apple season too. As summer starts to turn into autumn across the Cotswolds, the orchards get ready for harvest and this year’s fruit starts making its way from tree to press.

For us, those apples are more than simply an ingredient. They are a link back to the very first bottles of Bensons and those six barrels of English apples that started everything.

And it doesn’t stop at apples...

We’re lucky to work with some brilliant British fruit growers, and apples are only part of the story.

In Ledbury, Herefordshire, Pixley Berries grow the blackcurrants used across our Apple & Blackcurrant range. They’re a family-run farm with a long history of growing and pressing fruit, and we’ve worked with their team for years. Their blackcurrants are grown among the Herefordshire hedgerows, wildflowers and woodlands before making their way to us here in the Cotswolds.

Not far away, near Ross-on-Wye, Windmill Hill Fruit Farm is home to the Snell family and their team. Across the farm they grow an incredible range of soft fruit, including the raspberries and strawberries we use at Bensons. It’s a relationship that has given us the chance to see first-hand just how much knowledge, precision and care goes into producing great British fruit.

These relationships are a really important part of what we do. Knowing who grows our fruit, understanding where it comes from and working with farming families who care deeply about their produce keeps us connected to the countryside and to the farming roots Bensons was built on.

For us, backing British growers means choosing brilliant British fruit wherever we can and supporting the people who work throughout the seasons to grow it.

Part of the Cotswolds farming community

Being based in the Cotswolds also means we’re surrounded by farmers, food producers and businesses that care about where things come from, and we’re proud to be part of that wider community.

Our relationship with Cotswold Farm Park is particularly close to home. Farming sits at the heart of what they do, and we love working with a place that shares our appreciation for the countryside, British agriculture and the people behind it.

We’re also proud to work with The Farmer’s Dog, whose focus on British farming and British produce feels very close to our own roots. It’s another lovely example of the connections we’ve built with businesses across the Cotswolds that care about supporting British farmers and celebrating what’s grown and made here.

Relationships like these are an important part of the Bensons story. They keep us connected to the farming community around us and to the values that shaped the business in the first place.

Still proudly Cotswolds

A lot has changed since the days of selling apple juice from an old horsebox.

The range has grown over the years, from our pressed and sparkling juices to Fruity Water, Chilly Billy ice lollies and our Winter Mulled Apple Juice, and now our Premium Sodas too.

But the things that matter most haven’t really changed. Bensons is still a family business, still proudly based in the Cotswolds and still very much rooted in farming.

So this Back British Farming Day, we’re celebrating the growers, farms and farming families behind so much of what we do, and the British fruit that has been part of the Bensons story since day one.