Gipuzkoa’s cider sector has given a positive assessment of the 2025 txotx season. According to figures from the Basque Cider Route (Sagardoa Route), bookings for guided tours of the cider houses rose by 28%, table bookings made online by 37% and online cider sales by 9%.

The figures were announced at the Aburuza cider house in Aduna, at an event attended by Hur Astarbe, president of the Gipuzkoa Cider Houses Association, and Nora Beltrán de Otalora, the Basque Government’s Director of Food Quality and Promotion. Also taking part were the Deputy Minister for Tourism and Trade, Jakes Agirrezabal, and the provincial councillors Azahara Domínguez and Xabier Arruti.

Saturdays, Fridays and more young people at night

The pattern that took hold during the pandemic continues: most bookings were concentrated on Saturdays and Friday lunchtimes, although the cider houses that open for Sunday lunch were also very busy. By age, most customers are between 40 and 60, but the 18 to 35 age group is growing on Saturday nights.

Behind the jump in online bookings is the fact that more and more cider houses have added that option to their websites. Among online purchases, cider with the Euskal Sagardoa Designation of Origin was the best seller.

Twelve cider houses open to visitors

Twelve cider houses in Gipuzkoa now offer guided tours: three in Astigarraga, two in Hernani, two in Andoain and one each in Aduna, San Sebastián, Irun, Usurbil and Zerain. The tour starts in the apple orchard and follows the whole production process, with a tasting of each house’s products. Besides the tour with a meal, there are guided tastings for groups, apple juice workshops for families and Basque rural sports championships designed for companies.

During the txotx, the visitors who made most use of these tours were customers from the Basque Country and the rest of Spain. Out of season the profile changes: in 2024, 68% of visitors came from abroad, mainly from France (25%), the United States (18%) and the United Kingdom and Ireland (11%). Local customers accounted for 12% and those from the rest of Spain for 20%.

Beltrán de Otalora argued that “what we offer is based on the authenticity and quality of the cider, something we must look after because it is the key to successful visits and sales”.

Jobs and summer

The sector estimates that it generates around 690 jobs over the year, between the txotx and the cider houses’ other activities. This year it has also launched a tool with Lanbide, the Basque public employment service, so that job seekers’ CVs go straight to the cider makers.

Once the season is over, half of the cider houses stay open in summer, with terraces, seasonal produce and bottled cider.

Sources

  • Sagardoa Route: “Valoración de la temporada del txotx 2025”, 9 May 2025. Booking and online sales figures, trends by day and age, breakdown of guided tours, employment, origin of visitors in 2024 and summer opening.
  • Noticias de Gipuzkoa, Sagardoa Route: “Sagardoaren Ibilbideko upeltegietako bisita gidatuen erreserbak % 28 igo dira”, 13 May 2025. Breakdown of the twelve cider houses by town, overall percentage of foreign visitors and institutional attendees.
  • El Diario Vasco, Amaia Núñez: “La mitad de las sidrerías se mantienen abiertas en verano”, 14 May 2025. Read in the Sagardoetxea press archive. Positions of the institutional representatives, employment and summer opening.
  • GipuzkoaGaur: “Aduna acoge la presentación de las excursiones y visitas dentro de la Ruta de la Sidra Vasca”, 14 May 2025. Read in the Sagardoetxea press archive. Venue of the presentation, Hur Astarbe and statements by Nora Beltrán de Otalora.