Celebrating Perry’s Past, Present, and Future
Tom Oliver began his keynote by saying, "At this year’s Applefest Banquet, I had the honor of lifting a glass to the people behind the pear—specifically Perry. It wasn’t just a toast to the drink itself, but to the incredible commitment behind its preservation and craft."
Three Perry Legends
Charles Martel
- Known for his Stinking Bishop cheese and peri-based products.
- Catalogued disappearing peri pear varieties, creating the first national collection at the Three Counties Showground.
- His book on Gloucestershire pears remains a landmark work.
Jim Chapman
- Solicitor turned perry champion.
- Discovered the Hartbury Green pear and launched the Hartbury Orchard Centre.
- Now curates over 100 varietals displayed annually at the Malvern Autumn Show.
- Prefers dry, still perry—no bubbles, no fuss.
Kevin Minchew
- Perry pioneer bottling single varietals long before it was fashionable.
- Crafted standout perries like Gin and Huffcap in whiskey barrels.
- His final release, Last Hurrah, is a 23-year-aged marvel at 11% ABV.
Why Perry Matters
"Each of these individuals helped elevate Perry to something worth saving, savoring, and sharing. Their legacies shape not just what’s in our glass—but how we think about heritage, land, and tradition.
Let’s keep their torch lit. Raise your glass—Perry!" quote from Tom Oliver
Contact info for Oliver’s Cider and Perry
Contact info for Hereford AppleFest
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!