Covid-19 has had a huge impact across Wales and businesses are no exception and as we are all well aware uncertainty in the food market is the enemy.
Globalised supply chains have in the past produced advantages in terms of costs and availability of products for 12 months of the year. Our grandparents never even thought about buying Strawberries for Christmas Day! They just rolled with the seasons.
Covid has had a huge effect on this business model and no, we cannot go back to the food and drink supply of the 19th Century, but things have changed over the last twelve months and ‘normal’ will not be the ‘normal’ we knew for years or even decades.
We live in a world of heightened uncertainty in our lives as well as those people/families that run businesses. So resilience and agility of food and drink producers has never been more important.
Indeed businesses are being more adaptable, adopting different and more flexible sourcing methods and also different distribution and sales streams. Welsh Country has spoken to some companies that have altered the way they do business, some established, some new, but without exception they demonstrate excellent qualities to adapt and keep us supplied with the most wonderful Welsh food and drink.
FFa Da
FFa Da are a speciality hand roasting coffee company in Llandanwg , Harlech. Sioned Williams of Ffa Da commented:
“We believe in delivering good quality Arabica coffee beans to our coffee lovers. Ffa Da (Good Beans) by name and ‘Good Beans’ by nature, we have a strong eco ethos and believe this is the way all new businesses should begin their journeys. We feel passionately about reusing, reducing and recycling! We are mindful of the environmental impact of production and waste, we have carefully considered our packaging in the development of Ffa Da.
The coffee beans are roasted in small batches to meet demand, this ensures quality and freshness is maintained. We do not have surplus roasted coffee beans sitting in our roastery, we are all about the freshness. We roast at the end of each week and will post our coffee orders out on a Monday. We roast to order to guarantee our business model is maintained and our aim of producing high quality freshly roasted coffee beans, which is what you are guaranteed to receive.”
Black Mountain Roast
Ffa Da’s commitment to minimising waste and maximising quality is obvious and is shared by another coffee roaster on the opposite side of Wales, Black Mountain Roast in Hay on Wye.
Using technology, Glyn from Black Mountain Roast said:
“We select the best beans from around the world and roast them here on our state of the art Probat roasting machine.
We work to optimize the taste by developing specific roasting profiles in our ancient barn.
Alongside sourcing the best bean and our unique roasting profiles, all orders are roasted in small batch to order resulting in delicious freshly roasted Welsh coffee.
We offer single origin coffee and have unique blends.
During the lockdowns our small online coffee orders have been our saviour and has grown 500%.”
As with all food and drink companies Glyn is also looking forward to the opening up of the hospitality sector but also wants to maximise their coffee quality with training saying:
“As things open we are particularly looking to work with coffee shops, restaurants, delis and farm shops who love great coffee. We are able to help with staff training, coffee machine and all things coffee.”
Y Gegin Maldod
As can be seen by both those businesses is that mail order has been adopted by a huge number of people and businesses alike. In some aspects this change of sales direction will be a feature that remains for some indeterminable time in the future. Some businesses such as Ammanford based Y Gegin Maldod have developed letterbox confectionery.
Business owner Louise Waring explains of her business:
“Y Gegin Maldod are known for their unique and classic fudge flavours, including Welsh Cake Fudge and Sea Salted Caramel Fudge (made with Welsh sea salt). The range also boasts some more unique flavours, like the dark chocolate and chipotle ‘Y Ddraig Goch’ and the peppermint ‘Coal House’ fudge (a nod to Ammanford’s mining history).
Y Gegin Maldod began in April last year, selling bags and mailer boxes of fudge direct to customers and local retailers. By the later stages of 2020, it became apparent that the letterbox fudge collections were the most popular product.”
So Louise has now chosen to focus the business on direct to customer sales.
“Reaching customers and expanding our market has proven challenging without the ability to attend real-world food fairs. However, with many virtual food fairs now in full swing and access to social media, we all have customers available to us.”
Louise believes that online marketing is not the only reason Y Gegin Maldod has seen a boost in sales though,
“Our fudge selection boxes are small enough to post through letterboxes, limiting face-to-face contact and eliminating the risk of our delicious fudge being left outside in the rain. They’ve been our best seller since we began. Our customers love that they can include personalised greetings for no extra charge. Free delivery is a massive draw too.”
Angel Feathers
As can be seen mail order is a major factor to business survival and in some cases growth.
Returning to north Wales in Denbighshire, Katherine Wilding describes her small family company and products.
“Angel Feathers is a small family company based on the slopes of Moel Famau, making small batch, seasonal fruit spirits using home grown produce from our small holding.
Before the pandemic hit, Angel Feathers had been trading for only six months, selling our boutique artisan gin and vodka to independent shops, pubs, and restaurants. Most of our outlets closed at the beginning of the pandemic and have either remained closed or have had a drastic reduction in footfall.
We had to adapt quickly, so we applied for licence to sell online, which is not a speedy process. We already had a small online presence, so we spent time growing this and using social media channels to allow our spirits to be sold throughout the UK. We have been able to keep our business going in this small way.
Although we sell all over the UK, it has been heart-warming to see the number of orders that have come through from locals and from other customers across Wales.”
The pandemic has brought many aspects of community to the fore and Angel Feathers also joined that movement.
“More recently we have partnered with St Kentigern’s Hospice, a local charity in St Asaph, Denbighshire. With their doors still closed we are only able to support them by donating from the online sales of our Rhubarb and Blackcurrant gin, but we hope that soon we will be able to support the charity even more by hosting gin tasting events and cocktail evenings.”
Over the past twelve months many businesses have had time to reflect, time to think longer term for the business Katherine of Angel Feathers commented “We have used the quieter times over the last twelve months to rebrand and to develop some new products and collaborations, which we hope to be able to introduce when more businesses are open and trading again.”
Magic Dragon
Another business that has had time to reflect, time to plan, time to expand ranges is Magic Dragon again based in north east Wales at Eyton, Wrexham.
Brewing has been particularly hard hit as obviously much of their past sales was via public houses or restaurants.
Liz Lever tells the Magic Dragon brewing story:
“As well as doing home deliveries of real ale in mini kegs and bottles, the brewery has produced two new beers.
‘Lockdown’ is a craft lager based on the old cream ale originally brewed by Welsh brewers in pre-prohibition America. The picture on the front of the bottle is of Charles Street, Wrexham where the brewery’s Tap Bar is located.”
Richard Lever, Head Brewer said:
“Having a reduction in brewing has meant that I could take the time in developing a craft lager, a first for Magic Dragon Brewing. But it has been hard work to survive through this lockdown and we have changed focus to supply more beer direct to the customer instead of pubs and bars. We really appreciate our loyal customers who have ordered from us over last few months”
The second bottled beer is ‘Lost Summer’, an IPA made with American hops and Welsh water. The beer is a homage to the Californian beer you might be have been drinking on holiday, if it were not for the Covid-19 outbreak.
The beers are available direct from the brewery with local free delivery and on the website with delivery nationally.”
Tenby Brewing Co.
Tenby Brewing has very much the same sentiment as Rob Faulkner, tells Welsh Country:
“The Covid-19 pandemic has seen huge challenges for small brewers like ourselves, along with the hospitality and retail sector. Pre-pandemic the vast majority of our revenue was generated through wholesale supply of our award winning beers to pubs, bars and restaurants all over Wales and the UK. We were forced to adapt quickly and focus on getting our products direct to our customers and have seen huge growth in online sale. While the last 12 months have been extremely challenging there does seem to be ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ and we can’t wait to see all our loyal trade customers back trading so our beers can be enjoyed in fantastic pubs and bars across the country again!”
Juniperl
In our introduction flexibility and being adaptable was highlighted as two traits that are generally desirable but during a pandemic vital.
Juniperl the soft drink is crafted from real Gin botanicals, as they say, a delicious way to enjoy a grown up drink, hangover free.
Rebecca tells us their story:
“We actually launched Juniperl in October 2020, just as the dreaded second wave was starting to hit the nation.
We were planning a launch party to get some buzz around the brand and for people to sample our non-alcoholic spirit, Juniperl. This obviously wasn’t going to happen and with pubs and restaurants shutting, we instead launched through social media, Amazon and our own website.
I guess we were quite lucky in a way that our branding is designed to be fun and appealing to Millennials – something that is translating well online. So our efforts up till now remain pushing the brand online, where we had a brilliant ‘Dry January’ Sales month. Launching a product through Covid has forced us to be more resourceful and flexible than we probably would have been otherwise.
We cannot wait for the on-trade to reopen. It’s one thing selling a bottle to a customer for them to drink at home, but another to be able to introduce exciting booze-free cocktails that can rival any alcoholic drink. Our message from day one has been to make not-drinking fun.”
Forage Farm Shop
Another new business that has demonstrated incredible adaptation and flexibility despite being part of a very long established and very traditional business type. Katherine Homfray gives Welsh Country an interesting on going story of Forage and her introduction says it all…
Weathering the Storm and Planning for Post-Pandemic Life: How Forage Farm Shop & Kitchen launched in 2020, and their plans for life after Covid
It has been a rollercoaster first year for Forage Farm Shop & Kitchen, a new farm shop and restaurant just outside Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan. Despite constant, pandemic-related interruptions and restrictions, the team behind this new business have met the challenge head on, face down into the wind – as resilience and creativity have not been in short supply.
Launched online in March 2020, with the physical premises opening in June last year, the business has grown quickly and beyond all expectations while maintaining its core philosophy: to offer high quality, locally sourced, seasonal food in a beautiful setting.
“There is a strong desire for the business to be embedded within the local community, with customers feeling a sense of engagement and pride. This has been the objective since Day 1 – hence our slogan ‘Eat Well, Eat Welsh’”, says the young General Manager, Damien Burnell.
With the shop and restaurant originally due to open on 9th April 2020, the first objective was to come up with a plan that enabled employees to be retained while generating some revenue to cover operational costs. A decision was made to delay the official opening and, instead, pivot towards an online click & collect / delivery model, supplying fresh meat and veg from Penllyn Estate Farm (of which Forage is part). All photography was done in-house, and a local web designer helped create an online shop. Staff packed boxes, liaised with customers, sourced materials – the service yard was abuzz with (socially distanced) activity.
“Our first meat boxes were available for collection from 24th March last year” says Damien. “As demand grew, we expanded to provide a more rounded offering, including dairy products, our own eggs, and bread and cakes – all from local suppliers”.
Key to that early establishment, and fundamental to driving footfall throughout the last year, was a successful online marketing campaign. A member of the management team did an online course focussing on social media, and the business quickly built a loyal and growing following, with approximately 8,500 followers on Facebook and Instagram already.
“We aim to inform and engage with our audience, promoting local produce, providing weekly butchery offers, explaining best farming practises and sharing recipes,” says Katherine Homfray, part of the farming family that owns the business. “Our customers like to understand where their food comes from, they see the story behind it as a mark of quality”, says Katherine. “The modern consumer is well informed and discerning; we enjoy an open dialogue with our followers, telling them about the farm and how we are trying to do things in the right way”.
“There have been so many twists and turns over the last year, it’s been exhausting”, says Tom Homfray, Katherine’s husband and one of the farm managers.
“The last 9 months have gone by in a blizzard of one-way systems, socially distanced queues, floor markings and face masks. We can’t wait to be able to trade under normalised conditions”.
But some interesting things have come out of the pandemic. The management at Forage had not incorporated a takeaway offering into their original business plan, nor had they planned on doing an online shop from the outset. Having seen the demand over the last 9 months, both of these will now be retained. The takeaway element is being developed further with a newly, purpose-built kiosk to respond to the demand for speedy service, outdoor dining and to account for long-term changes in consumer habits.
“We all have to accept that life will not go back to pre-pandemic normality, whatever that was”, says Tom. “A bit of nervousness will remain, and habits developed during this last year will influence how people shop and dine out. While we are looking forward to having a full restaurant again, we want all of our customers to enjoy Forage – whether visiting us in person or ordering online”.
All these business updates and news prove that Welsh Food and Drink is maintaining its quality because so many businesses have weathered the pandemic storm. We still cannot hold food festivals and shows where we can meet these producers in person, but we can enjoy their produce at home. But we also like so many here, look forward to the day that hospitality is fully open and when we can have more opportunity to try buy and enjoy delicious Welsh Food and Drink.
