It started with an argument.
Jake Hadley grew up on his family's apple farm in Herefordshire - a few acres, a hundred-year-old orchard, and a father who was very clear about how cider should taste. Remi Osei spent a decade in hospitality, stocking bars with whatever sold fastest and getting gradually more frustrated about it.
They met at a farmers market in 2019. Jake had a folding table, six cases of cider, and absolutely no marketing plan. Remi had opinions. By the end of the market they'd sold everything, argued about labels, and agreed to make a proper go of it.
Big Baller Cider launched the following spring. The name was Remi's idea, Jake hated it for about three weeks, and now it's on everything.
We ferment in Herefordshire using apples sourced within 30 miles of the farm. No concentrates, no artificial carbonation, no shortcuts. What you taste in the can is what came out of the orchard - just a bit more interesting.
Co-Founder, Head of Cider
Jake grew up on his family's apple farm and spent his twenties trying to convince people that cider didn't have to be sweet or boring. He runs fermentation, sourcing, and quality at Big Baller. He's also the one who keeps proposing weirder ingredients - the smoked apple was his idea, as was the habanero experiment that will never see a can.
Co-Founder, Head of Everything Else
Remi's background is in hospitality - front-of-house, bar management, distribution. She joined Jake after she got tired of stocking cider she didn't believe in. She handles stockists, events, marketing, and the business side Jake refuses to deal with. She came up with the name, which Jake still maintains was a mistake.
We use whole apples and real additions - no concentrate, no artificial flavours, no shortcuts. If it's not something you'd put in your own food, it's not going in our cider.
The best cider is the one you can drink without thinking about it. We don't need you to detect tasting notes or pair it correctly. Open it cold and drink it.
We make cans because cans are meant to be handed around. Big Baller works at a backyard barbecue, a festival, a kitchen table, and a pub. We're not precious about where it gets drunk.