Guided tours at cider houses continue to be a popular option among local consumer groups. Catalonia stands out as the autonomous community purchasing the most cider through our online site, 28% of purchases. Meanwhile, local customers make the 76% of meal reservations.
Assessment of the cider house season, the “txotx” experience and customer trends
Consumption trends and customer behaviour at cider houses are evolving significantly, especially regarding the way reservations are made. In this context, online bookings have grown by 15%, consolidating themselves as an increasingly common channel among users. Local customers stand out in particular, as they are the ones who use this booking system the most, accounting for 76% of all reservations made through digital platforms. More information about the cider house finder and booking platform can be found at this link.
In terms of consumption trends, customer attendance is mainly concentrated during weekends. Sundays are characterised by a more family-oriented profile, while Saturdays are dominated by group and social gathering bookings. Fridays are also recording a growing influx of visitors, consolidating their position as an increasingly important day for cider houses. Another major difference can be seen in schedules, as lunchtime services register significantly higher activity than dinners or evening services.
Regarding age groups, most visitors to our cider houses have been between 40 and 60 years old, although there has been a noticeable increase in customers aged between 18 and 35 on Saturday nights. Cider enthusiasts who gather throughout the week with the aim of tasting cider also hold a special importance in our environment. It remains common for people to visit different cider houses throughout the season in order to taste the new ciders of the year. This year, the trend in terms of visitor numbers has remained stable.
The cider sector generates around 700 jobs throughout the year, both related to the txotx season and to other activities linked to cider houses. For the second consecutive year, we have collaborated with Lanbide in order to streamline the CV collection system for people wishing to work in our cider houses during the txotx season. This has represented a major step forward in facilitating staff recruitment.
Currently, 55% of Basque cider houses remain open throughout the year, reflecting a clear evolution within the sector towards reducing seasonality and consolidating a gastronomic, tourism and cultural offer that extends beyond the traditional txotx season. Thus, while during the txotx season the gastronomic proposal is usually centred around the traditional cider house menu, from May onwards the offer diversifies with different dishes and more affordable options adapted to new customer profiles and consumption occasions.
Furthermore, although some establishments continue to offer the possibility of tasting cider directly from the barrel, all cider houses now offer tastings and samplings of bottled products, including their newest varieties and latest releases.
This is complemented by the growing presence of terraces and outdoor spaces where visitors can enjoy these ciders accompanied by snacks and more informal gastronomic proposals, further expanding the leisure and consumption experience surrounding Basque cider. The full offer of cider houses open during the summer can be found through this link.
At the same time, we would like to highlight the importance of the hospitality sector in cider bottle consumption. This is the leading sector for cider consumption and, together with the Euskal Sagardoa Designation of Origin, we are currently developing a working space aimed at facilitating product ranges, materials and everything hospitality professionals may need in order to promote cider within their establishments.
Guided tours, tastings and excursions to cider houses: another way to enjoy Basque cider houses
Beyond the TXOTX experience — the tradition of tasting cider from different barrels while enjoying a traditional cider house menu — the Basque Cider Route and the Basque cider sector are committed to enabling customers to enjoy many other experiences within cider houses. This is a visit model based on a high-quality local product.
Tours always begin in the apple orchard and continue through the entire cider-making process while visitors taste all the products made by the family. Both local and international visitors have enthusiastically embraced this new opportunity.
We would also like to emphasise that the cider sector has developed its offer based on respect for the primary sector. Whether during a guided visit or while tasting cider during txotx season, the sector’s main objective is to enhance the value of local apple varieties and cider. For this reason, locally produced products play a major role during visits: Euskal Sagardoa Designation of Origin cider, apple juice, gastronomic ciders, canned cider, hop-infused cider, sparkling cider, ice cider and many others. These are the most special products from each cider house and are offered to visitors during tastings.
The sales of tours to Basque cider houses show a very positive evolution, with growth reaching an 84% increase in visitor numbers. The predominant profile corresponds to local customers regarding txotx experiences, while domestic Spanish visitors account for 26% of total visits. Nevertheless, during the cider house season there is a greater presence of local visitors, who also consume this type of cider culture-related experience.
The short visit focused on tasting products from the cider house is the most popular service among local customers, who seek shorter experiences linked to local gastronomy. Meanwhile, domestic visitors from other parts of Spain mainly prefer combined visit-and-meal experiences, opting for more complete and experiential proposals. Foreign visitors, on the other hand, tend to favour comprehensive packages including visits, gastronomy, transport and guide services, reflecting a demand for organised, higher value-added experiences.
Currently, 14 cider houses offer guided tours:
- Aburuza (Aduna)
- Altzueta (Hernani)
- Astarbe (Astigarraga)
- Barkaiztegi (Donostia)
- Begiristain (Legorreta)
- Bereziartua (Astigarraga)
- Gaztañaga (Andoain)
- Iparragirre (Hernani)
- Lizeaga (Donostia-San Sebastián)
- Mizpiradi (Andoain)
- Oiharte (Zerain)
- Ola (Irun)
- Petritegi (Astigarraga)
- Saizar (Usurbil)
Although the sector offers a wide variety of experiences, the most popular ones depending on the target audience are the following:
- GUIDED TASTING AND MEAL: 30-minute guided tastings are perfect for groups. These visits are mainly focused on tasting different products, followed by a traditional meal at the cider house. More information.
- GUIDED TOUR AND MEAL: The guided tour lasts approximately one hour and allows visitors to discover every corner of the cider house, from the apple orchard to the cellar, while tasting different ciders produced by the family. Afterwards, guests enjoy a traditional meal at the cider house. More information.
- APPLE JUICE WORKSHOP: This workshop is designed for families. It takes place during apple season and lasts two hours. Apples are harvested, crushed and pressed, after which the whole family has the opportunity to taste the freshly made juice. More information.
- BASQUE RURAL SPORTS CHAMPIONSHIP: Perfect for groups and companies. Different games and activities based on traditional Basque rural sports are organised to encourage team cohesion. The activity lasts two hours. More information.
All the activities are listed on the Sagardoa Route website, the Basque Country Cider Route. Learn more.
The Basque Cider online shop, with more than 150 different ciders and 18 product ranges
Regarding sales figures, the sector continues to show clearly positive growth, with a 19% increase during the first four months of the year, reflecting growing interest in Basque cider and the consolidation of new sales channels.
The main customer profile corresponds to Catalan consumers, who account for 27% of purchases, followed by Andalusian and Basque customers, both representing 15%, while the Madrid region accounts for 12% of sales. These figures demonstrate the growing expansion of Basque cider within the Spanish market and its ability to attract increasingly diverse audiences beyond its traditional territory.
In addition to existing local and national deliveries, the sector is committed to internationalisation by offering international shipping to all European countries. The minimum order is one case of 12 bottles, with the possibility of combining different types of cider within the same box, allowing consumers access to a more varied and personalised offer.
In recent years, the Basque cider sector has been undergoing a significant diversification process in order to adapt to new customer needs and consumption habits. This evolution is reflected both in the expansion of services and experiences and in the product offer itself.
Currently, cider houses produce over 150 different ciders and cider-related products, grouped into 18 ranges:
- PDO Natural Cider
- PDO Premium Cider
- PDO Organic Cider
- PDO Gastronomic Cider
- PDO Canned Cider
- PDO Bag in Box Cider
- Apple Brandy
- Cider Vinegar
- Cider Vermouth
- Apple Juice
- Sparkling Cider
- Ice Cider
- Hop-Infused Cider
- Single-Variety Cider
- Two-Variety Cider
- Alcohol-Free Cider
- Cherry Cider
All these products are also available through the only online shop specialised in cider in the Basque Country, bringing together products from 48 different cider houses. This wide variety demonstrates the sector’s innovation capacity and its commitment to reaching increasingly diverse audiences without losing the essence and identity of Basque cider. More information.