Cider Cities meets Cork’s Chamber of Commerce

On Monday 24th morning, representatives from Cider Cities met with representatives of the Cork Chamber of Commerce (Ireland), to whom they presented a letter of greeting and an invitation from their counterpart in Xixón.

LA SIDRA.- The Asturian embassy of Cider Cities, composed of Carme Pérez, Anzu Fernández, and Marcos A. Fernández, was received at the headquarters of the Cork Chamber of Commerce, along with representatives from the Chamber, Tim Garde, Cathal Mcsweeney, and Mónica Valdés. The embassy was invited to learn firsthand about the European Cider and Apple Network, its current members, its objectives, and its immediate projects.

Representatives from the Cork Chamber of Commerce expressed great interest in learning about the potential of Cider Cities as a tool for developing economic opportunities that could be of interest to Cork’s business community linked to cider, juice, and apple production, as well as rural tourism and eco-sustainability.

In an intense and productive meeting, in which Eamon Lucey (Stonewell Cider) made the initial presentations, it was explained that Asturian cider culture had recently been recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This fact sparked the Chamber of Commerce representatives’ interest in Asturies and its connection to cider.

The Asturian delegation briefly outlined the tradition and economic importance of the cider industry and cider tourism in Asturies. They also demonstrated the international leadership capacity achieved after fourteen editions with the International Hall of Gala Ciders (SISGA), which is the seed from which Cider Cities emerges, by sharing common interests and problems among different countries with a common bond between cider and apples.

As a result of the meeting, representatives from the Cork Chamber of Commerce expressed their interest in joining Cider Cities and in learning about the conditions under which this would be possible. They also expressed their interest in any potential initiatives from the Cork City Council and County Council.

The Asturian delegation also took the opportunity to personally deliver a letter from the President of the Xixón Chamber of Commerce, Félix Baragaño, to his Cork counterpart, Rob Horgan, inviting him to attend the next edition of SISGA, which will be held in Xixón in September of this year.