CLA members Peter and Becci produce cider vinegar – a product which has been claimed to bring extraordinary health benefits for several thousand years. But their business is not just about the product – it is a success story which has flown in the face of recession since Becci joined her father on the smallholding at Goodleigh, near Barnstable, 18 months ago and brought the marketing power of the internet to the old cider mill.

Peter believes it was a tip from his guardian angel that led him to contact the daughter he had not seen for many years and persuade her to move to Devon and join him in the business. It has certainly proved a recipe for success as sales have increased by 50 per cent in the last year – and the trend is continuing upwards.

If you read up on cider vinegar it cures more ills and ailment than any other natural or homeopathic remedy on the planet – everything from allergies and arthritis to blood pressure, cholesterol and obesity and if you’re an animal lover it is also good for pets, including dogs, cats, and horses. It helps them with arthritic conditions, controls fleas & barn flies, and gives a beautiful shine to their coats!

The stories are the stuff of legend – Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, used it as a health tonic; American soldiers used it to combat indigestion, pneumonia and scurvy and explorer Ranulph Fiennes used it to keep arthritis at bay.

The pile of letters Becci has received from delighted customers reflect some genuinely life changing events – reverses in crippling arthritis, dramatic weight loss, improvements in mobility - all attributed to the curative effects of cider vinegar.

Peter himself is testament to the efficacy of the stuff. He was badly disabled in a road crash as a young man and there was concern that he would neither walk nor work again.

Now in his 70’s he is able to do both and is convinced that cider vinegar has helped him out of his wheelchair.

He bought the smallholding back in the 1980s when he was still running an off licence in Lynton. Scrumpy had been an important – although very seasonal – part of the operation and he decided he wanted to start making his own. As his disability worsened he found he could no longer manage the stairs in the off licence so he moved to the holding where he later got permission to put up a house.

“I was already making cider – but then my disabled employment officer told me that her husband was disabled like me but he knew about the benefits of cider vinegar and so I started making it, “he said.

That was some ten years ago and the business continued steadily on until Becci came into it 18 months ago and added modern technology to the traditional values Peter has maintained on the four acre orchard. Her web-based marketing skill has brought a dramatic rise in sales to the point that they now consider themselves one of the leading manufacturers of cider vinegar for health purposes.

Apple cider vinegar contains acetic acid and some lactic, citric and malic acids, what sets Ostlers apart is the fact that it is made naturally and is sold unpasteurised – it still contains what cider makers call : “ the mother” and that, says Peter, is what gives it its specific quality.

The vinegar is made from traditional cider apples which are crushed and fermented but instead of being clarified by pasteurising, Ostlers remains cloudy with the enzyme and natural bacteria-rich ‘mother’ still active. The increasing popularity of natural health products has given sales a boost but Becci says she is also keen to ensure that it is affordable and available for a wide market.

There are no fancy bottles or expensive labels and their on-line marketing has produced many new customers and a fifty percent increase in turnover within a year. The vinegar is used in animal health products and that leaves the mill in thousand litre containers – but for normal customers it is available in small bottles or one litre containers.

The product range is still expanding and a variety of cider vinegar chutneys and honeygar – a combination of the vinegar and honey – have been added.

The success of the business means that they will be expanding the orchard and planting another two acres of trees this winter as well as introducing bee hives to the orchards so that they can produce their own honey.

“This has been an amazing story so far – it is a great product and sales are growing enough for us to expand the orchard, but we want to keep our cider vinegar real and natural and available to people who may be on a tight budget,” said Becci.

Further information is available on line at www.ostlerscidermill.co.uk or Becci can be contacted on 01271 3221341.