Hoila cider is a refreshing, light alcoholic apple drink made from fermented apple juice, without preservatives or flavour enhancers. The carbonic acid is generated naturally by means of controlled fermentation, with no artificial interventions.

Although this sounds so completely natural, in reality it is the result of many years of work, myriad tests and innumerable tastings. In fact, Hoila cider, which bears the South Tyrolean seal of quality, was developed and refined through a collaboration between Scotland’s renowned Heriot-Watt University and South Tyrolean apple growers. Today, production takes place exclusively in South Tyrol.

“We value the ability to purchase apples for our products from the most diverse growing areas in the region. Altitude, temperature and, of course, the varieties themselves play a crucial role here”, says Maximilian Alber describing his search for the most suitable raw ingredients.

Without exception, Hoila only uses hand-picked apples for the fermentation process. “We even stuck the first 15,000 labels on the bottles by hand – we’ve had to stay up all night doing it,” laughs Maximilian Alber.

But he has a ready explanation for the motivation behind all this effort: “We hope to have contributed to bringing this almost forgotten drink back into the spotlight.” Hoila’s intention is to improve esteem and appreciation for apples through their refinement – to give them the value that winemaking has given to grapes.