Arena Black is produced from fruit grown on the farm which has been in the same family since 1860. The family were farming for many generations before then and local records show them in the area from the 1750’s.
Originally it was a mixed farm with the main crop being hops for local breweries, cereals, apples and sheep and cattle.
In the mid 1970’s Bewl Bridge Reservoir was built which flooded 3 valleys and claimed 130 acres of the farm’s prime land.
Spread over 770 acres (310 ha) it is now the largest inland water in the South East and supplies water to towns and villages as far as North Kent down towards the South Coast.
It is also a major centre for fly fishing, sailing, rowing and boasts a large Nature Reserve and over 12.5 miles of public tracks.
Now called Bewl Water the reservoir has created a unique climate which is ideal for the growing and ripening of both top fruit (apples) and soft fruit (blackcurrants).
In the Spring the large quantity of water acts like a storage heater, gently radiating heat which helps to keep the air temperature up, protecting the future crop from night frosts during the critical flowering time.
Throughout the growing season the farm gets adequate rainfall to swell the fruit and plenty of sunshine on the South facing slopes. The gentle cooling breezes along the valley create an ideal growing temperature for slow Autumn ripening, producing apples and blackcurrants perfect for Arena Black. The Blackcurrants are kept on the bushes until the maximum sugar levels are reached and the Cameo apples are late picked to maximise ripeness and full flavour.
The blackcurrants are gently shaken from the bushes by British built picking machines in early August. They are then cold pressed locally ready to be mixed with the Cameo apples later in the season to give a unique refreshing juice that is ideal for all occasions. Both 1 litre and 250 ml bottles are available.
The farm is also the headquarters of Arena Pursuits. With over 20 years experience Arena provides a wide range of fun Team Building, Corporate Entertainment and Outdoor events as well as fun activities for families and friends.
With all the interest in bushcraft and "back to basics” Arena has launched its own innovative and exciting Survival Courses. Ideal for both new and existing Teams, these courses are a great way of finding out more about yourself and fellow work colleagues. If you can work together and survive a night or two without the normal creature comforts, you can be a winning team back in the workplace.
Corporate clients are by nature competitive and nothing helps to round off a memorable day at Arena than a bottle or two of Fizz. In keeping with our policy of using local produce we only have the Award Winning Chapel Down Brut from Tenterden.
In fact we are so impressed with the quality of their English Fizz and wines that we have planted up 9 acres of grapes which cropped in 2010 resulting in our own "champagne” in 2012. New plantings of the Bacchus and Sauvignon Blanc varieties will give us some excellent fruity still wines in the years to come.
Blackcurrants are a large part of the farming enterprise and around 2% of all the blackcurrants that go into Ribena are grown here along the shores of the reservoir.
To find out more, to buy Arena Black and Gold Fruit Juices or for information about Arena Pursuits and Arena Survival, please contact us...