Shenley Park

Apple Juice Production

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The apples are picked and either juiced the same day or stored overnight for juicing the next morning. After picking the apples are hand sorted once again. Contrary to what most people think only premium grade apples are used for juicing - for making the best juice that is. So no bruises or holes, bird droppings or mud. Some scarring is allowed as this is a natural blemish on the apple.

The best juice is made by mixing different types of apple, as in cookers and eaters. There are a few eaters that make good juice on their own but the majority are too sweet and sickly. Hence the best base for apple juice is cooking apples!

Before the apples are taken for juicing they are checked once again for any bruised or damaged apples. When happy that the apples are of good quality the apples are taken in to be juiced.

Apples are hand fed into a large mill that chops up the apples like a giant food processor!

The chopped up apple pulp is collected into 7 buckets then each bucket is made into what is termed a "cheese". When seven cheeses are made these are then pressed under very high pressure and the apple juice collected. Each press will give enough juice for approximately 30 bottles. The juice is collected and moved to the clean area of the room ready for bottling.

The spent cheeses (ie apple pulp) are then emptied out, the cloths rinsed ready for the next press.

Washed bottles ready for filling

The juice is bottled and then the bottles placed in a large water bath that heats the bottles up to 70 degree celcius for 20 mins. The bottles are removed immediately and laid on their sides to cool. If the bottles were to stay in hte bath any longer the juice would start to be "cooked" and this affects the taste.

We have monitors in place to make sure pasteurisation is successful. The next day the bottles are labelled with a batch number and a best before date, our own juice label added and then they are taken to the store.

We have a record book that tells us exactly according to the batch number what apples, what ration and who made the juice so we can trace back every bottle that we make.The juice is ready to drink at anytime from that date to 18 months. After 18 months the taste might start to alter. Because the juice is pastuerised it has a shelf life of 18 months and can be stored at room temperature.Once opened however you are recommended to keep refirgerated and consume within 2 days.

Apple juice is highly acidic, most of our juice is between 2.5 and 3.5 pH units. If our juice was to register as more alkaline than 3.5 we would not process it as something would be wrong with it!

Apple Juice label

It is a very simple process, it can take quite a long time and is physically demanding but is worth it if you like apple juice!

If you are interested in having juice made for you from your own apples please follow this link