Original Hungarian text translated into English
Original Hungarian text translated into English
Updates1
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It’s been three weeks since the fire – thank you for your help ❤️
Three weeks ago, following the storm on 22 June, a devastating fire destroyed Magyar Czider Kft.’s cider factory in Gelse. In a single day, more than a decade’s work – the state-of-the-art equipment, the stock and the ciders that had been maturing for months – were all lost.
When we launched this fundraising campaign, our aim was to help Kata and Orsi get through this extremely difficult period and give them a chance to start afresh. We are very grateful to everyone who has stood by them over the past few weeks with a donation, by sharing this post, or with a message of support.
A lot has happened over the past three weeks. Based on an assessment of the damage, unfortunately the tanks and all equipment used for cider production have been damaged to such an extent that they cannot be salvaged, so significant investment will be required to restart production. The direct cost of the damage is in the region of one hundred million forints, and the fire destroyed not only the current stock but also the semi-finished ciders that had been maturing for many months.
So far, the current fundraising campaign has raised 2,075 euros, which is 6 per cent of the target of 30,000 euros. Every single donation makes a huge difference and brings them closer to resuming production of their cider, made from 100 per cent Hungarian apples.
Meanwhile, the Czider team is constantly looking for opportunities to get back on track. They have explored several potential sites for setting up a new facility, but none of them are suitable for production to start immediately.
Another option is to temporarily continue cider production at another facility under a contract manufacturing arrangement. Discussions regarding this possibility are currently underway.
A force majeure claim has also been submitted, for which fire safety documentation is required. Preparing this could take up to 60 days, so we will have to wait for the outcome.
Meanwhile, this year’s harvest is approaching, set to begin in August. It is vital that they are able to continue their work and that the story of Magyar Czider does not end here.
Thank you to everyone who has helped so far, and we ask you, if you can, to support them with a donation or by sharing this fundraising campaign.
Every bit of help counts. 🍎❤️
They’re not giving up – let’s help them start again!
The fire took everything they had, but the cider makers from Gelse aren’t giving up
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Description
In the early hours of Monday 22 June 2026, the Czider factory in Gelse – the artisanal cider workshop where Orsi and Kata have been working since 2012 to bring and free from additives.
Fortunately, no one was injured. However, the building, the recently purchased and commissioned high-value equipment, and the entire stock were destroyed. Production came to a sudden halt, and it is not yet known when it can resume.
Orsi is an economist, Kata a psychologist. Gradually stepping back from their long-standing careers in multinational companies, they set about realising their dream. The story began back in Vértesboglár in 2012, in a small workshop set up in a family home, where many of us were able to be part of those early years as friends, family members or helpers. We bottled, labelled and packed by hand, and at the end of the day we often celebrated our work with a cold cider.
In 2019, the story continued in Gelsén, near an apple orchard. The facility was completed in 2020 following a massive investment, funded partly by grants and partly by a loan. This was the place where Czider could finally be produced under the conditions Orsi and Kata had always wanted: using high-quality apples from Zala County, with natural fermentation and no artificial additives. The new facility provided an opportunity for Czider to reach an ever-wider audience and for Hungarian cider culture to begin to take root, slowly but surely. This facility has now been destroyed by fire.
The greatest loss is the specialised production technology. As there is no insurance cover, we are currently unable to replace the equipment using our own resources; therefore, external help is now needed to give us any chance at all of starting afresh.
The funds raised will be used for the following:
- demolition and restoration work following the fire,
- replacing the most essential production equipment and reorganising the factory,
- and to ensure that Orsi and Kata can keep their heads above water until production resumes.
Every donation brings us closer to ensuring that ‘Have an apple! Pure.’ is once again not just a memory, but a reality bottled up in a bottle.
Thank you for contributing to the rebuild.
Thank you for sharing the fundraising campaign.
And thank you for all the trust, love and support that Orsi, Kata and Czider have received over the past few years.
On behalf of Orsi and Kata too: thank you.
Kitartást és mielőbbi egyenesbe kerülést, hogy ihassunk minél több Czidert!