In 2004, Richard spent several weeks in France learning how to make Normandy cider with the local cider makers. Being a true enthusiast, he put his tutor on the case to find a Cider press. Eventually he had a call to confirm that a suitable press had been found in an old barn and Richard went over to dismantle it and bring it back to St Ouen. The press turned out to be a "turn of the century" piece of French history, languishing in a Normandy Farm. Thriving on a challenge, and being an engineer who loves old machinery, Richard restored the press and installed it in an out-building at our farmhouse in St Ouen. And so, in 2005, La Robeline Cider Company Ltd was born.