In this conversational interview, Polly Barnfield, OBE, talks with Jane, the e‑commerce manager at the independent marketplace Near To, about how Harry's Cider Company successfully sells alcohol online despite strict social‑media advertising rules. They explain that Facebook and Instagram prohibit direct alcohol ads, so Harry's relies on organic content, farm‑authentic storytelling, and Instagram Stories to convey the brand’s heritage. The Near To listing showcases the company’s history, ethos, and product images, including unique formats such as 3‑litre cask‑style bottles and adult‑juice‑box‑style pouches that appeal to picnics and casual consumption. The discussion highlights how the brand’s visual language—sunlit orchards, cows, and time‑lapse production videos—creates a sensory experience that compensates for the lack of smell online. By weaving cultural identity (Woodbridge, Somerset) into their narrative, Harry's turns product purchases into cultural purchases, driving rapid sell‑outs and making them one of Near To’s top‑selling independent alcohol brands.
Chapters
Looking forward to exploring how a brand that sells alcohol is using independent marketplace and social media. Alcohol can be a tricky thing to sell online. And Jane, who is the E commerce manager from near to, is really going to explain explore how Harry's are doing such an extraordinary job. Jane, talk to me about what Harry's are doing both on near to and then also the, the exciting journey they're taking on Instagram. Spoiler alert. They're from Woodbridge. I'm dead proud because I grew up in Woodbridge.
I think selling booze online is always a difficult one. But how to make premium spirits and premium beverages fun and accessible and also get around the fact that you can't market them using the e commerce tools on Facebook and Instagram because they.
For anybody thinking, what are you talking about? Facebook has a no alcohol policy. So you have to be quite, you can, you can use organic content but you can't. There are some limitations around how you use ads. So please don't think you can't use social media and alcohol because you can, but that you have your hands tied behind your back a lot more than most other brands.
Yeah, that's right. So when you, you have to think about how to market your brand without direct sort of click throughs. So to get that overall feeling of how wonderful your company is and how fun it is to enjoy their products, companies like Harry's have really built in that farm fresh feeling that sort of. You look at their posts on Instagram and you instantly think of the Wurzels and sunlight on orchards and that beautiful smell of apple blossom and it all comes straight from their social media.
So Jane, right now we're looking at their near to listing. Just talk me through what's here. And then should we jump across their Instagram page?
Well, on near to you get a lovely little sort of insight into the history of a company, their location, their ethos, and then you get some nice product images along with it. So you can instantly look at sort of the type of things they've listed. On near to they do some fantastic cases of single Siders and then they also do these pouches which are sort of the adult equivalent of a juice box, but perfect for picnics. We get three lighters of cider with a little tap on the side, which makes it quite a fun product. But if I jump over to their Instagram, you can see that the images you're getting are beautiful, sort of fresh from the farm cider images. And it sort of makes you want to go and makes you want to have Fun.
I mean, just looking at them, it's also great here. James, We've done some work with Ludlow June as well. And one of the key, key messages that they say is not only. I mean, they sell, they sell out. They sell out of whiskey. And I think five minutes when they, when they have their new. When they lay down, when the whiskey has been cast and they release it, they sell out in five minutes through social media. But the key is that they don't just sell their product, they sell them. And these guys are doing the same, aren't they? They're. You're buying Harry's and you're buying into their culture, buying into their apples, you're buying the ethos. And they're storytelling beautifully, aren't they?
Yeah, they are.
What do they do on their stories? I'd love to see on the farm. How do they, how do they bring the whole piece?
I think there's just an awful lot of cows still on their farm. Let me see if we can get into.
There we go.
So, yep, some coos sunset.
But I think stories, stories are one of those things that can be often misunderstood. That it's, that it's such a valuable way to keep appearing in people's speed, doesn't it? Because it lets you. Doesn't have to be quite so curated. And if you then highlight them, they're there forever. But you know, you know, within 30 seconds you've understood that Harry's grow their own apples. They're proper farmers. You're drinking a product that's been created on this farm and you want to know more. Show me production. I want to see how they produce behind the scenes.
It's a fantastic time lapse video that.
I think, yeah, they're really good. And again, it just makes me feel like, oh, this really is an authentic British product built by British people. I want to taste this cider now. I want to taste it.
Yeah, it's a beautiful slice of Somerset life, isn't it? It's that sort of idyllic view of these guys on a farm making their cider from apples grown in their own orchards with the cows grazing next door.
So I always say with social, you can't do, you can't do smelly social yet. And you said so you haven't got that lovely scratch and sniff, but this is as good as it gets, isn't it? This is, this is. You can you, you can as near as damn it, smell it. Which is key to making the buyer.
I think the joys of the farm without the smells of the farm, which I think is probably sometimes a good thing.
Hats off to Harry and Greg. Harry's and well done to near to to got them on their platform. You said that they're one of your best sellers already, Jane.
Yeah, they're one of our best sellers. I think we've sold out quite a few their products quite a few times because they're just so, so popular, I think.
Fantastic. Thanks, Jane. I look forward to talking about another great independent retailer very soon.
