20 Years of Apple Juice from KOHL!

A lot of water has flowed since I started working with Thomas Kohl. Rarely does one experience it so closely: how an idea gets on its feet and learns to walk. How a vision develops from a single sentence: what if we treated apple juice the way we treat wine?

Grapes and apples: both belong to South Tyrol\u2019s identity. Apple trees stand in nearly every garden; many also cultivate grapes. How grapes and apples are processed \u2013 that is where the big difference still lies. And it is precisely this gap that has interested and motivated Thomas Kohl from the very beginning.

A conversation on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary.

Warm congratulations on the 20th birthday! How does it feel to look back on two successful decades?

Thomas Kohl: The 20 years surprise even me. I ask myself: how did that happen? How did I manage to make my idea a reality? And of course I feel great joy and gratitude.

Let us take a look back. How did Obsthof Kohl come about?

That I should take over the farm was planned. In my younger years I travelled the world extensively. Then came the moment when I wanted to put down roots. I had grown up on the farm, had always helped and knew the work and the processes well. But I was looking for change. I wanted to create something new and got the opportunity when the farm was handed over. What I knew: 8,000 producers in South Tyrol deliver their apples to the cooperatives. Once an apple lands there, you can no longer trace what happens to it.

Why not simply grow apples yourself and throw them all into the press together?

That is how it is usually done. I made it a game and compared apple juices of different varieties with each other. In winemaking there are wines from a single variety, and there are blends. Treating apples like wine \u2013 that was the spark.

You separate by variety \u2013 that was completely new. What else did you do differently?

Traditionally, apples that were not suitable as table fruit were pressed into juice, mainly because of size and appearance. Essentially leftover processing. I knew that I wanted to be in the absolute quality segment. Leftover processing is out of the question for that. Only the best, fully ripened fruits are processed into apple juices by me. Size and appearance are not decisive; I am interested in the aromas and structure of a juice.

That sounds like an intimate relationship with your apples.

Exactly! That is how it feels: my apples receive a great deal of care; we do many things by hand. And each variety has different needs. The bond with the product has been important to me from the start.

You then developed the apple juice product further. What was the biggest challenge?

With apple juice I could build on existing knowledge. I knew little, however, about sales and marketing. Family and friends were quickly supplied with juice; I had invested, and it was clear: I need to take the juice out into the world.

What were the next steps?

My juices are special. You have to understand: there are 2,000 apple varieties; five to ten of them are generally known. Most people do not really distinguish between them. I had to do educational work and communicate the level of my juices externally as well. Together with an agency, a visual identity was developed from 2010, along with the transparent glass bottles with elegant labels, high-quality packaging, a web presence and much more. This increased visibility and recognition.

After the single-variety apple juices, blends joined the range.

Initially it was important to me to work with the individual apple varieties. Apples and correspondingly apple juices bring a wealth of aromas comparable to grapes and wine. Blends are a challenge: it is about a fine balance of sweetness, acidity, mouthfeel and structure. The apple juice is responsible for the latter, forming the base, framing the second component. The two react to each other, which can be quite exciting.

Will you tell us about a failed experiment?

Of course not everything we try works out. Raspberries would be obvious, as they grow here and are easy to come by. But they are very delicate and barely keep; raspberry juice also oxidises heavily and then no longer looks appetising. So there is no blend with raspberries.

You say yourself that you were very product-focused, even product-obsessed. But a different strategy was added for marketing.

Correct. I devoted myself to developing single-variety juices and composing blends with juices from other fruits, herbs, berries and vegetables with great dedication. Who should drink these juices, when and how \u2013 that was the next consideration. The logical step was to think through the topic of food pairing. After all, it is also central to wine, so why not equally to my juices. A topic that has become extremely important for us.

After the 750 ml bottles came the minis and then the magnums.

The transparent 750 ml bottles were the first step and unusual at the time. Apple juice was known in the green litre bottle. Then came demand from the gastronomy sector for small bottles as single portions for all kinds of purposes. In 2017, the large bottles joined the family. Historic apple varieties had always interested me, and I was constantly experimenting. From Wintercalville and Ananasrenette I was finally able to press excellent juices. With the large bottle and the beautiful packaging, we give these two GRAND CRU an appropriate setting.

Dry January has just passed. How do you see the topic of alcohol-free enjoyment?

It is trending. More and more people appreciate the variety and decide depending on the situation what they want to drink. With our apple juices and the brilliant cocktails that can be created from them, we open up new possibilities.

Different countries, different tastes \u2013 is that so?

Definitely, the sales figures speak a clear language. Take Italy, for example: apple juice is not in high demand. So I developed some products for this market, such as blends with fruits that are popular there.

The products work, distribution is in place \u2013 what are your plans now?

In agriculture, every year is a new game. Nature constantly presents us with challenges. Beyond that, I am focused on continually refining my existing juices, making them ever more refined and elegant. For me, it is not about MORE but about BETTER \u2013 including when it comes to variety diversity. So there are not always new varieties; rather, some are occasionally swapped out.

Where do KOHL apple juices travel to these days?

In Europe we are now represented in many countries. Demand from Japan, South Korea and Taiwan is growing, and the step into the US market is currently being prepared. What delights me: last weekend I was at Lake Garda. In a bar I hear a young woman rejoicing because she can order apple juice from KOHL.

What has changed in 20 years of farming?

Anyone who works with nature pays particular attention to changes. Our apples grow on Ritten, high up on the mountain. If summers get warmer, that is not yet a problem for us. What does concern us, however, is water. Precipitation is noticeably decreasing; we have to intervene far more than before. What has remained are the autumn temperature differences between day and night. They are important for the final phase of ripening before we begin the harvest.

Thank you very much for the conversation and all the best for the future!