Kermerrien cider apple trees
Malus domestica - Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
- Flowering group: 3
Kermerrien is a traditional cider apple variety from Bretagne, in the far west of France.
It is grown for the acidic quality of its juice, which is primarily used to balance and enhance the flavour of other bittersweet varieties in cider blends - it brings freshness and balance. It can also be used to make a light thirst-quenching single-varietal cider.
Kermerrien typically has a Brix value of 12-13, and acid levels of between 5-6g per litre.
Kermerrien organic cider apple trees for sale
Next deliveries: December 2025
11 yeartree on MM111 rootstock28.00€Large tree
(3m-5m after 10 years)
Bare-root 21 yeartree on Bittenfelder rootstock28.00€Very large tree
(5m-6m+ after 10 years)
Bare-root
Sold-out
EU delivery countries
Click here to view estimated delivery charges.
Growing and Training
Kermerrien is easy to grow, and a good regular cropper from a young age.
Kermerrien is well-adapted to the mild humid climate of the Atlantic coast of France. It has good resistance to the fungal infections which thrive in these climates.
It tolerates cold winters but the blossom is susceptible to frost damage.
History
Kermerrien originates from the region of Bretagne, and has been in use since the 19th century. It is found particularly in cider orchards around the towns of Quimper and Carhaix, in the department of Finistere.
Kermerrien characteristics
- Gardening skillBeginner
- Self-fertilityNot self-fertile
- Flowering group3
- Disease resistanceGood
- Picking seasonLate
- Season of use1-2 months
- Food usesHard cider
- USDA cold hardyZone 7 (-18C)
- Summer average maximum temperaturesCool ( 20-24C / 68-75F)Warm (25-30C / 76-85F)Cold (< 20C / 67F)
- Country of originFrance
- Period of origin1850 - 1899
- Flower colourWhite
- Fruit colourOrange / RedOrange flush
More about cider apple trees
Cider production in Europe is traditionally associated with three main regions - Asturias in north west Spain, Bretagne and Normandie in north west France, and the "west country" area of south-west England. These regions all face the Atlantic ocean and have cool temperate maritime climates.
Cider can of course be made with any variety of apples, but in these three regions apple varieties have evolved which are specifically intended for cider production - they have high levels of tannins which give "body" to the resulting cider, but which make them very unpalatable to eat fresh.
Good quality cider is almost always made with a blend of different apple varieties, using bitter, sweet, and sharp flavour components. It is quite common to mix in regular cooking and dessert apples to lend extra flavours.
If you are in an area with a hotter continental climate (with average summer maximum temperatures routinely over 30C) then you might want to consider using apple varieties that can withstand warmer temperatures, but still have good juice qualities. In this case rather than using European varieties you might want to seek inspiration from the very different "hard cider" traditions of North America, where dessert and crab-apples are widely used.
We have a good range of traditional English and French cider varieties, as well as a number of mainstream apple varieties with good juice qualities that lend themselves to cider production.
