Poor harvests coupled with rising demand from the fresh category are threatening to leave cider and juice manufacturers short of Bramley apples this summer.

Cloudy summer days and cold August nights last year led to slow fruit growth just before harvest, with tonnages subsequently down on expectations. Leading English producer Fourayes, which processes 8,000 tonnes of Bramleys a year, said it would have to monitor the situation closely.

"Last year we were contending with Magners as a significant number of Bramleys were lured to Ireland," said MD Phil Acock. "Now, the market is facing a new challenge as crop yields have proved to be lower than hoped."

The looming supply shortage for fresh Bramleys, as reported in The Grocer last month, is likely to eat into the available crop further. Multiples have reduced the minimum size of fresh Bramleys from 85mm to 80mm so they can 'steal' some of the crop originally earmarked for processing to meet a 14% rise in demand for fresh, according to English Apples & Pears chief executive Adrian Barlow.

The market is also facing a longer selling period. Demand in 2006/2007 was abnormally high - partly thanks to the so-called "Magners effect" - and crop supply ran out a month early. Effectively, this has left a 13-month season for the current year.

With a poor harvest in Eastern Europe and a worldwide shortage of apple juice from concentrate, suppliers are warning processors that a shortage is likely.

"It's those processors who haven't entered into contracts with growers who may find their supplies run out towards the end of the season," said grower Robert Mitchell of Foxbury Farm in Kent. "Those that haven't booked ahead may be in trouble."

Although "the Magners bubble had burst", leading to less sourcing of UK fruit, the cider industry remained buoyant, Mitchell added.

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