Newscaster CNN, General Motors and Burger King all set up their businesses around the times of a recession. All three companies taking the attitude that if they can trade during the tough times, then when things become good then will thrive.
OK so officially as this is written, we are not in a recession, but there is every indication that the coronavirus pandemic will put the UK into recession for the second quarter of 2020.
But whatever the reasons for starting a business, two such new businesses told Welsh Country of their forays into the world of Welsh food and drink.
K’s Kitchen
Hi, I’m Kirstyn and i’m a busy mum of 2 and the owner and founder of K’s Kitchen. Originally born and bred in Spittal!
I have always had a passion for baking and cooking since a very young age, taught by my mum and grandmother and then adapted recipes etc to my own.
I have always baked for family and friends and then last year, July 11th 2019, I decided to turn my hobby into a business and share my wonderful creations with the public. Last year I attended Withybush car boot, Carew market and also attended few Christmas craft fayres as I hoped to do this year but, due to Covid-19, its all been postponed.
This past year I’ve had such an outstanding overall outcome of happy returning customers and I thank them all for their continued support especially in these uncertain times.
Since the Covid-19 outbreak, I was generally worried for all my hard work to be put on hold however, my business has actually boomed since. I’ve had so many orders and gone from baking maybe one day a week to every single day! I’ve gained such a great customer base and regular orders since the outbreak so it’s actually had the opposite effect on me than it unfortunately has had for others.
K’s Kitchen is doing so well that the menu grows as well with savouries such as scotch eggs and quiches.
Visit: kskitchen0.wixsite.com/kskitchen0
It’s a different type of food business that Louise Waring has set up, with a much tighter timeline to the Covid-19 crisis. Ammanford, where there is a hot bed of Welsh food and drink success and launching at the start of lockdown, Y Gegin Maldod is her creation. As a freelance graphic designer the government’s coronavirus regulations began to affect her design income, she knew what had to be done. Having already registered Y Gegin Maldod pre-lockdown, Louise was able to quickly launch the confectionary business with the help of Food Centre Wales and tells her story to Welsh Country magazine.
Y Gegin Maldod
“I’d still be trying to work out HACCP plans and what I needed for my labels without the help of the fantastic technologists at Food Centre Wales. I certainly wouldn’t have had the Environmental Health Officer’s approval to trade so quickly. I can’t emphasise enough how priceless the ongoing support from them has been, as I now have an income coming in at a time when I would otherwise have been struggling to support my young family.”
For the mother of two young children, the creation of an exciting new business while nurseries and schools are still closed has been challenging, yet extremely rewarding. With excellent product reviews, Louise has managed to gain a loyal customer base for Y Gegin Maldod in only a couple of months.
“I’ve been cooking sweet treats practically all my life, but doing so on a mass scale for public consumption is on another level completely. There’s so much to consider, but I am enjoying the entire process.”
With a lifetime of baking, digital design and creativity on her side, Louise was able to launch an online shop and raise the profile of the business on social media very quickly and has already received several wholesale orders and enquiries from local food stockists.
Y Gegin Maldod’s creamy Welsh Cake Fudge is proving to be a big hit with customers, with its chunks of real Welsh cake.
“Customer’s add it to their basket believing it to be just a fun novelty flavour, but it quickly becomes the one they order again and again.”
Y Gegin Maldod’s range also boasts some more unique flavours, like the dark chocolate and chipotle, “Y Ddraig Coch” fudge and “Fun at the Fair” – a pink, candy floss flavoured fudge, full of mallows and rainbow sprinkles.
So, what does the future hold for Y Gegin Maldod? Louise wants to expand the business to include other products and also hopes to provide employment opportunities in Ammanford.
“It would be fantastic if the local community benefited from the creation of Y Gegin Maldod. The support I’ve had from local customers and businesses has been amazing. I am so grateful to them, but also to my customers further afield.”
Visit: Y Gegin Maldod
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