Excess fruit from Waitrose’s 2,800-acre estate in Hampshire has been used to create a limited-edition juice which will go on sale in its stores.
The apple juice was created in collaboration with British cold-pressed juice firm Daily Dose and came about following an abundance of apples at the Leckford Estate farm.
Waitrose stores across the UK are expected to stock 900ml bottles of the juice, which will be available at £3.50 each.
The supermarket chain’s bosses said staff at the Leckford Estate contacted Daily Dose following a bumper crop this year – due to hot weather.
They said the apples were smaller that usual due to a lack of rain, and they risked going to waste.
Staff from Daily Dose helped hand pick the fruit alongside Waitrose partners from the estate’s orchards.
The result, they said, was a pure cold-pressed apple juice which is 50% made from Leckford apples, which celebrated British agriculture and prevented food waste.
“The Leckford Estate is one of the most beautiful and sustainably run farms in the country,” said George Hughes-Davies, founder of Daily Dose.
“To be invited in to help make use of their apples was an honour. This juice is exactly what Daily Dose stands for – repurposing incredible British produce and turning it into something delicious.”
Colin Pratt, fruit farm manager at the Leckford Estate, said it was a “brilliant collaboration”.
“It’s a real celebration of British farming and sustainability, which perfectly aligns with what we know Waitrose food lovers value,” he said.
“The juice also tastes delicious and we can’t wait to hear what our customers think.”
The Leckford estate, which is a champion of regenerative farming, has been part of the John Lewis Partnership, which owns Waitrose, for almost a century.
A team of 100 members of staff work there year-round and they help handpick the apple harvest from August through to October each year.
Daily Dose is a BCorp which rescues unwanted produce from UK farms and manufactures all of its juice at its factory in Corby, Northamptonshire.
The firm uses the whole fruit – pulp, peel and everything else – and its products are stocked at cafes and shops across the UK – including Gail’s and Waitrose.
The Leckford Estate was the vision of the John Lewis Partnership’s founder, Spedan Lewis.
It was his home as well as a farm – a place where he could grow and produce food in conjunction with his passion for conservation and the study of the natural world.
Today it is a diverse estate including farming, food processing, leisure, property and retail.
The estate produces wheat, rapeseed oil, sparkling wine and honey – all of which are available in Waitrose shops across the UK.
