With only a few days to go until 10 000 crazies descend upon the 6th annual Capital Craft Beer Festival, I sat down with Ross Young, the Director of Rekorderlig Africa to chat about what gives this Swedish cider the edge on everyone else, while uncovering their plans to get more involved in SA’s live music scene.
Tecla Ciolfi: The craft beer and cider market is so saturated in South Africa, what makes Rekorderlig stand out from the rest?
Ross Young: Rekorderlig is unique in that we use PEAR as our base and not apples for RSA, this makes us a semi-sweet Fruit Cider. Our serve and proposition is completely pushing the cider boundaries and we aim to give each consumer a unique cider drinking experience every time they enjoy Rekorderlig.
TC: I’ll be honest, I’m not a big beer fan and for me, there’s nothing more refreshing than an ice cold cider on a hot afternoon. What’s the response been like to your product and its launch in the country?
RY: People were skeptical at first once they learned it was a cider made from fruits, but the proof is in the taste – once the liquid touched their lips it was game over – love at first taste. South Africans are looking for new and innovative products to try and incorporate to their lifestyles – Rekorderlig fits this bill perfectly, we are not the usual main stream boring cider that you drink from a bottle – we are exciting, innovative, young, energetic
TC: You’re sponsoring the Forest Stage at Capital Craft Beer Festival this year which is fantastic, how important do you think it is for brands to actively assist our music scene?
RY: As South African we need to band together and support local trade as much as possible. Rekorderlig sponsorships / partnerships are testament to our Swedish heritage, loyal, reliable and all round awesome, in todays society, we need to all support small brands, companies and all support the growth this can potentially bring to SA. Music is the same mindset, without us as people or brands supporting these artists, giving them the platform to project their craft it will be long time and a hard struggle for these bands to break to market. Rekorderlig is Proud to be a part of this festival and to in our own small way support the local music scene.
TC: I hear you’re also coming on board with Park Acoustics which is exciting, in what capacity will you be supporting that monthly event?
RY: Rekorderlig loves Park Acoustics – we have been involved for close to 2 years now as the exclusive cider for the PA events – this year will be no different, we will be supplying Perfectly served Rekorderlig cider as well as exciting cocktail options for all the festival goers.
TC: If you had to choose the favourite out of your ciders, which one would it be? I read that Rekorderlig means trustworthy in Swedish so you have to be honest here.
RY: Honestly, I have 2 favorites. 1) Strawberry Lime which is currently in South Africa and 2) Passionfruit which is part of the global flavor range. I’m working on bringing in Passionfruit but we will be releasing Mango Raspberry later in the year so keep an eye out for that exciting launch.
TC: The ingredients that you use to make your cider comes from Europe, do you brew your cider there too? Any chance you’ll open up a local brewery?
RY: Correct, Rekorderlig currently is a Swedish love child and uses only 100% pure fruit and natural ingredients. I am currently working on a local brew solution with the Swedes and a local Brewery. I will keep you updated on the progress of this but I am hoping that within 18 months or so Rekorderlig will be brewed locally.
