Mornington Peninsula Cider
As of 2025 Penny and Graeme stepped away from the business to enjoy retirement with their families and grandchildren.
The primary production and sales of Harts Farm Products are now managed by long term team member Matthew Zerbe.
You can to buy the produce; Cider, Olive and Vinegar directly through Bittern Estate.
About our harvest and fermentation process
We harvest the apples starting in late February with the later varieties in April. The apples are the crushed on site after each harvest using a continuous belt press & the resulting juice is pumped into stainless steel tanks.
The cider undergoes Primary fermentation in stainless steel tanks & is then aged in French Oak Barrels followed by final blending and bottling with additional apple juice and yeast. This secondary bottle fermentation naturally carbonates the cider, with residual fruit sugars providing balance. Natural sediment (lees) forms in the bottles from the secondary yeast, which gives our ciders added complexity. When the bottled cider has reached the right amount of carbonation, we pasteurise the bottles in milk vats filled with heated water, followed by labelling and packing.
The flavour of the finished cider does vary slightly from year to year and batch to batch depending on available fruit and seasonal characteristics.
