Ethos Public Relations Manchester

Get fruity with your work colleagues – set up a cider co-operative

by Ethos public relations

With 179,000 tonnes of uneaten apples thrown away every year in the UK*, a new guide launched today is encouraging people to set up a cider co-operative at work, to celebrate Apple Day 2011 (Friday 21st October).

The new guide, ‘Setting up a cider co-operative at work – Get fruity with your colleagues!’ by Co-operatives UK, shows how work colleagues can get together to make use of the tonnes of uneaten apples that go to waste each year and sets out advice on creating cider co-operatives at work.

According to Arthur Potts-Dawson, chef and visionary behind The People’s Supermarket: “Cider clubs are a new flavour of co-operative. Setting up a cider co-op at work is an easy and sociable way to make the most of one of the UK’s most unsung fruits.”

Mark Simmonds, the guide’s author from Co-operatives UK, says: “If colleagues get together in the next few weeks and bring in their excess apples from their gardens they can have quality, local cider ready for Christmas or the New Year.

“And it is simple to set up a cider co-operative at work. The structure tends to be very informal and anyone who provides some apples can become a member of the co-operative, allowing them to have a say and get some cider in return.”

Now businesses across the UK can help to save so many apples from going to waste every year, by starting their very own cider co-operatives with the help and advice that can be found in the new guide. All businesses can have a co-operative in them.

If you are interested in finding out more about how to set up your own cider co-operative at work, please download a copy of ‘Setting up a cider co-operative at work – Get fruity with your colleagues!’ – www.uk.coop/fruity.

* WRAP research – www.wrap.org.uk

To read other news from Co-operatives UK click here.

Posted at 19^th October 2011