EVERY apple that goes into a bottle of Granite Belt Cider Co’s Treehouse Cider is grown by an Aussie farmer in the Granite Belt region of South-East Queensland.

With crippling drought affecting communities across the region, Granite Belt Cider Co committed to supporting Granite Belt Water Relief, a not-for-profit delivering truckloads of fresh water and supplies to communities and farmers, with a percentage of the profits from every Treehouse Cider sold since February going directly to the fund.

On Tuesday 29 September, Granite Belt Cider Co handed over a $12,500 donation to Granite Belt Water Relief with every dollar purchasing 40 litres of water.
With $25 buying a 1000 litre pod and $500 purchasing a truckload of water which helps 20 families, the donation will purchase 500,000 litres of water trucked out to communities in the Granite Belt.

Sustainability Manager of Granite Belt Cider Co’s parent company, Fermentum, James Perrin said it only made sense to put a campaign in place to support the farms who support them.

“We only use Granite Belt apple juice in our ciders, so by giving water to local farmers who are severely drought affected, we’re helping to make sure they can keep growing great apples for generations to come, and ultimately keep their businesses afloat.

“Half the Granite Belt region isn’t connected to town water so they’re reliant on tank water and with minimal rainfall, that means the tanks are empty or near empty.”

Granite Belt Water Relief brings water in to their site’s holding tanks in Applethorpe so locals can pull up and fill their own containers and IBCs, free of charge, to take back to their farms.

Granite Belt Water Relief founder Samantha Wantling said the donation was beyond amazing and will enable the charity to keep the doors open and the water flowing for some time to come.

“The drought has been so relentless on the rural residents on the Granite Belt, and just knowing that they will still be able to have access to water is an enormous sense of relief for our charity and for these residents,” said Ms Wantling.

“The mental toll a drought takes on people is so unbelievable, so when a donation such as [Granite Belt Cider Company’s] comes along, there are just not enough words to emphasise
the positive impact it has on so many lives.”
As the drought and hardship has continued, Granite Belt Water Relief has expanded its
assistance for locals beyond water relief to also providing food hampers, an essentials
pantry, dog food, clothing and even men’s suits for formals and interviews.
To make a donation directly to Granite Belt Water Relief, visit their Facebook page at
www.facebook.com/granitebeltwaterrelief.