Cider's cool new image to lead the way in British export push

Magners on ice became a trendy summer drink. Photograph: Frank Baron for the Guardian

It was, in the words of one industry executive, the drink of "students, tramps and the Wurzels". But the perception and popularity of cider has been transformed and now the government wants to get in on the act.

Defra and its agency UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) have published a plan to improve British exports – and cider seems to be its trump card. "As one of the world's leading cider producers, the UK is well placed to leverage this growing opportunity," the plan says. "Worldwide, cider sales are rising rapidly and grew by over 50% in both the USA and Australia in 2011-12."

The drink's place in what David Cameron calls the "global race" for growth is a remarkable turnaround for a product whose appeal was once limited to under-age drinkers and those seeking cheap strong booze.

Paul Bartlett of the National Association of Cider Makers said he was delighted the government was waking up to "a gem", and hoped that with promotion and trade missions, cider could enjoy some of the success of Scotch whisky. He added: "There's growth in Canada, the US, Australia and Scandinavia. And there are pockets in Asia, where hopefully the government are going to help. We are looking at Vietnam, Korea, China. It's the holy grail to crack those markets.

"The American beer market has changed dramatically with the rise of craft beers. Consumers are experimenting with different flavours, and looking at the provenance of their drinks. Cider is jumping on the back of that, offering a natural background, the direct link with apples. And men and women both like it, which is important because more drinking is in mixed groups."

Henry Chevalier of Suffolk's Aspall Cyder pointed out that cider is being sold at the top end of the market in America. Restaurants, he said, include Aspall cider on their wine lists, at $26 a bottle, considerably more than its £2.59 UK price tag. Waiters show the label to drinkers before offering a taste, and they store it in ice buckets.

Billboards advertising English cider varieties have appeared in Sydney, exploiting a growing awareness of the drink. And British farmers are waking up to the potential and turning over land to apple orchards.

Chevalier said the change in cider's fortunes came when Bulmers' Irish rival, Magners, launched in Britain in 2005. The following year brought a hot summer and a multi-million pound Magners marketing campaign to encourage serving cider over ice made it the trendy new drink.

But there were other factors in play. "If you go back 15 years, the image was tramps, students and the Wurzels. It was very cheap, it wasn't the best quality and there was a vicious price war going on between Bulmers and Taunton. But when Bulmers owner Scottish & Newcastle was bought by Heineken [in 2008], it was the first time an internationally minded company got hold of a big cider brand. The parochial view was that there was nowhere to sell cider except England. Heineken disagreed, and others have followed.