A cider loved by locals could now taste success on the other side of the Atlantic.

Hogan’s Cider, nestled at the foot of the Malverns on Castlemorton Common, is exporting its bottled dry cider, medium cider and perry to the United States – just six years after founder Allen Hogan’s decision to turn a 20-year hobby into a full-time business.

The company’s headquarters are just outside Alcester in Warwickshire but cider production is based at H & MH Weaver, in Castlemorton, which has been grain and fruit merchants since the 1920s and now offers an apple pressing facility.

The semi-agricultural, semi-industrial site is a great example of farm diversification and is a “lovely place to work”, says Mr Hogan.

Mr Hogan said: “We are trying to produce something authentic and we only use cider apples and fruit that hasn’t travelled far. The furthest it travels is 15 miles, as we have the perfect climatic conditions locally.

“For much of the year, making cider is like watching paint dry, as it’s a time-consuming process.

“There’s a huge variety of fruit, with nearly 400 identified varieties of cider apples We use 30 to 40 varieties but it is climate-driven. You have to be a bit of a chemist and a food technologist in this business.”

The drinks are made by artisan methods from the juice of freshly pressed cider apples and perry fruit grown in Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, but the bottling process is outsourced to Westons Cider in Much Marcle, Herefordshire.

Deliveries range from articulated lorries bringing 30 tonnes to someone with a few bags in the boot of their car.

The apples have their leaves and twigs removed before being washed, ground up into a fine pulp then pressed to produce juice.

The juice is fermented for up to three months then matured for a further six months to mellow and soften the flavour.

Allen and his team must be doing something right – in September the 2009 vintage perry won the perry and pear cider category at the International Cider Challenge.

The future looks bright for Hogan’s, with some of this year’s production earmarked for distillation into brandy and plans to bottle the popular mulled cider.

Hogan’s already sells its cider through supermarkets in the Midlands and almost 100 pubs nationwide.

Now, with bottles being shipped across the pond via American speciality beer importer Shelton Brother, Americans could discover the taste of Hogan’s too.