Minimum Order: £15

Delivery charges
Anywhere in mainland UK
£2 surcharge for delivery to Scotland
More information

Chegworth Valley Juices is situated in the beautiful Kent countryside. We purchased the farm in 1983 and established a fruit farm on what had been a dairy farm previously owned by Leeds Castle. Over the next 10 years we planted over 30,000 apple and pear trees of many different and some rare varieties. Adding raspberries in 1990 and strawberries and other soft fruit 5 years later.

Initially we sold our fruit to the supermarkets and major wholesalers who unfortunately put us under continual price pressure and were only concerned with the shape and size of the fruit. Bizarrely they had no interest in the taste or smell of our fruit or by what farming methods or chemicals had to be used in order to produce fruit to their unnatural specification.

We realised this was not why our family had become farmers. We passionately wanted to produce real fruit with the best possible taste and smell and fruit not full of harmful chemicals. We also wanted to deal directly with customers who had a passion for real food and drink and would prefer to support smaller producers rather than the big food manufacturers and supermarkets who some feel have devalued the great produce available in England.

At the same time new Farmers' Markets had started opening up showcasing likeminded producers and by people with a real passion for what they eat and drink. This was where we wanted to be. So we bought a van piled it with bushel boxes full of fruit and set off and it was the best decision we ever made. We now participate at 10 markets every week come rain or shine.

Talking to our customers we quickly realised that they were indeed concerned about the use of chemicals and intensive farming methods and would rather buy real fruit that didn't look unnaturally perfect so we put the farm into organic conversion. All of the apples and pears on the farm are now completely organic and certified by the Soil Association.

Our customers also showed a great interest in having a wider choice of different types of apples and pears - we're now planting more and more new and old English varieties.

Our customers also complained of the poor juices available in the UK and the misleading ways some drinks manufacturers marketed their drinks particularly to children. Of particular concern were concentrated juices where the natural juice has been heated to a very high temperature to leave a thick sludge of questionable nutritional value which is then shipped all over the world and later reconstituted with water and other concentrated "aromas". Also Juice Drinks which dominate supermarket shelves but actually only contain around 5% fruit juice and are then bulked out with water and sugar.

So we bought a small traditional press and started making our own juices. A little nervously we took our first 150 bottles to a local fair and by giving away small sample cups and letting visitors taste the juices we sold out in less than 3 hours! We now sell a range or pure apple and pear juices and special blends using our raspberries, strawberries, blackcurrants, blackberries, rhubarb. The fruit is tree ripened until perfectly ripe, hand selected and pressed in small batches, often within hours of picking, and then bottled. The juices are then gently pasteurised to retain all the nutritional properties and the maximum flavour of the fruit. We also see no reason why our juices should travel 1000's of unnecessary food miles so choose to deal directly with our customers through Farmers Markets and by mail order and direct with good quality independent delicatessens, restaurants, food halls, bars, cafés, shops, and hotels.

Please say hello if you see us at any of the markets or don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any comments or questions or would like to see our juices stocked in your favourite outlet.