In the last of our series about Welsh food and drink companies surviving, but a number actually thriving during Covid-19, Welsh Country talks to some more companies that take very diverse routes to keep supplying us with the most wonderful array of food and drink.
As I sit here putting this article together, it cannot be done without the obligatory mug of coffee and the first coffee story comes from Alfie’s Coffee Company. Paul explains their story:
Alfie’s Coffee Company
We started our journey into coffee on October 2019 with our coffee van, Alfie’s Coffee Bus, but when lockdown came into force we could no longer use the van and visit our clients.
Thus, Alfie’s Coffee Company was born.
We had always wanted to roast our own beans eventually, but with the sudden halt of our day to day ‘normal’ we were able to propel this idea forward!
We specialise in small batch hand roasted coffee beans from Kenya, Columbia and Brazil. Unlike some other roasters, we roast our coffee beans to order, so our customers are always guaranteed the freshest cup of coffee!
We are extremely thankful for our customers who have supported our roastery and look forward to seeing where this journey will take us!
What can better a coffee? Well perhaps a cream tea could suffice! But the question is, in Wales, do we put the clotted cream on first or the jam? To my mind this is an irrelevance as it is the quality of the product that is more important and Daffodil Foods have certainly hit that parameter. Lynne Rowlands founder and owner of Daffodil Foods tells her tale:
Daffodil Foods
Daffodil Foods had just launched Welsh Clotted Cream, ready for the Easter holiday rush, when the Covid-19 lockdown started. In order to try and raise some sales for this new product the company contacted bakeries in the region who made other products that would work well with their clotted cream and compote. The idea was to create a lovely food gift in a box with a ribbon, with provenance, that customers could send to their loved ones all over the UK, to show them that they were thinking about them, even if they couldn’t visit. In order for this to work it was important that the box was accompanied with a personalised card, to give that special message. Within a fortnight the Afternoon Tea Gift Box was pulled together, an online shop was built and photos were taken. Orders came flooding in as people wanted to share Daffodil Foods’ mission to ‘be kind and share a treat’.
This created its own problems as business to consumer was all new to Daffodil Foods, so there was steep learning curve. Customers viewed this item as a gift and started ordering for specific dates, for birthdays and anniversaries, so a system had to be retrospectively designed to accommodate this need. One of the main problems was that the company kept running out of stock as orders grew so rapidly and it was important that the other suppliers weren’t too far away so that the bara brith, Welsh cakes and scones could all be collected at short notice. Packaging suppliers and couriers were also being hit with huge demand at this time making it even more challenging. The company kept changing and improving the offer, using a local Welsh company to design, print and deliver a bespoke box made the gift look even more special and also helped reduce the amount of labelling needed.
As the lockdown has eased, orders are starting to come in for Daffodil Foods’ Welsh Clotted Cream from the original intended market – the Foodservice industry (takeaways and cafes). However, having fought hard to develop this new strand of business selling directly to the consumer from the Daffodil Foods website, the company is keen to retain this now as it has kept the business afloat at a very difficult time. It has encouraged the company to build their brand and engage more actively with all the social media platforms, creating blogs, videos, newsletters, giveaways, maps and recommendations. Daffodil Foods Welsh Afternoon Tea Box cost £25 delivered by next day courier all over the UK. Orders are taken at their online shop where a personalised message can be typed in and the date the box is needed for. The box contains; a greeting card, 4 x 40g Daffodil Foods NEW Welsh Clotted Cream, 2 x 40g Daffodil Foods raspberry compote, 6 Welsh cakes from Popty Bakery, 4 scones Village Bakery, 1 x 500g award winning bara brith fruit cake from Popty Bakery, 200g Collier’s Welsh cheddar, 250g salted Welsh butter with sea salt crystals and 4 Welsh Brew envelope and tag tea bags. Packed into white gift box with ribbon and wood wool.
To order visit: www.daffodilfoods.co.uk
But back to coffee. Wales is blessed with many wonderful coffee roasters, but obviously the majority of their product goes into coffee shops and restaurants many of which are as I write still closed or maybe offering just a takeaway coffee. Bay Coffee Roasters tell their story of having a business on one day and the next day a very much reduced business.
Bay Coffee Roasters
Being a small producer we had been excited by the positive feedback we were receiving from our customers, in fact we were looking at possibly one of our busiest years, our focus had been supplying affordable quality coffee to cafes throughout Wales, as with every other business overnight our income was almost totally removed. We had started to do a small amount of retail, which involved producing smaller retail packs for shops to sell, but in all honesty our historical focus had been supporting our wholesale customers. We have a small team at the roasters where we roast and package coffee that we import from around the world and provide a maintenance service for coffee machines. Unfortunately we had to make a swift decision to put our staff on furlough.
Initially due to such large scale of our loss of business it was thought that we would possibly close the doors until we knew what was happening, but when you have taken years to build a business it can only be described as a hard, emotional, painful decision. Fortunately we were contacted by a long standing friend who runs a packing design company. He had visited several times on holiday and was enthusiastic about what we did, in fact he had considered starting a coffee roasters in the past but wasn’t able to make it happen, so the idea of getting more involved was something that he became very excited about.
Our focus over the last few years has been trading as Allaways to provide our wholesale services and maintenance, but it didn’t reflect what we do at the heart of the business, which is roasting coffee on the coast of Wales. The Bay Coffee Brand is something that we have become very proud of, but we had produced virtually everything ourselves including the design work.
Over various Zoom meetings we discussed ideas, but it soon became obvious that a bit of a leap of faith was required. To stand out in the current market we needed a drastic overhaul to represent what we do.
So with the help of a friend and perseverance over this period, we have managed to establish an online presence in the retail sector. It hasn’t been a replacement for our current wholesale business but it has enabled us to start to cover some of our costs and I believe it will help us in our recovery over the next year or so.
So I would just like to say a big “Thank You” to everybody that has supported us over this period.
A little bit about us…
From the roastery I can take a 20 minute stroll down to our local beach, Tresaith in Ceredigion. I’ve lived near the coast nearly all my life and would never want to change this. West Wales is truly a wonderful place to live full of character and inspiration for your daily life. This is no doubt the reason why I roast coffee, being able to produce a product that brings the senses alive.
Sustainability
We’ve been established for over 10 years and done our best to keep things moving in a positive direction. Over the last year I have been working really hard to improve our products, whilst moving closer to production methods that are good for the environment.
All our roasting is done using electricity and we are just in the transition of moving over to a 100% renewable energy supplier using a windfarm in North Wales. It might not seem like much, but I’m not aware of many roasters that have made this move as they are all seem to be using fossil fuels.
We also only import coffee using a company that has a strong sustainability policy, supporting organisations such as Coffee Kids, Food 4 Farmers and International Women’s Coffee Alliance.
Our coffee
I aim to make our coffee enjoyable for all, I only source Arabicas, which require longer growing times and more specific climates. I’ve found that a medium roast brings out qualities that produce a cup that you can enjoy every day. Each coffee is slightly different and we roast each one individually taking into account it’s process and the characteristics of its location.
Don’t forget
If you enjoy our coffee, please let people know about us, it really does make a difference. Share and like us on Facebook, Instagram send out a carrier pigeon or whatever else you can think of.
Keep safe and stay caffeinated:)
Visit: baycoffeeroasters.com
We all want to thank those front line workers over the past few months and generally we think of the NHS. But the world did not stop turning and we needed so many products and services to see us through the pandemic. Bread was one of those staples and many bakeries across Wales did a sterling job of not only producing bread, but so many other wonderful things as well. One such bakery is the Carmarthenshire based business Hafod Bakery and what a story they told Welsh Country .
Hafod Bakery
Established in 1963, Hafod Bakery is a family run business based in Carmarthen, South West Wales. Serving the local community with freshly baked traditional, hand-crafted bread and morning goods is what we have always done and we were not about to let a pandemic stop that! As one of the few commercial bakeries left in Wales, preserving the tradition of baking bread in a wood fired oven, Hafod Bakery is well loved across Wales and for many represents comfort, family and home.
Hafod Bakery has always served a wide range of customers, from larger multiple retailers, independent retailers, food service and tourism businesses. As the pandemic spread and lockdown was declared the hard work started.
Instead of spending the Spring Bank Holiday supplying tourist attractions and holiday parks as normal, the team took our bread on the road. Quickly establishing local pick up points and taking orders for doorstep delivery. This has increased the feeling of community and the drivers on the various rounds have had some wonderful stories to share of the people they have met. One of our favourites is when our driver, Kevin, met the wonderful Mrs Morgan on her 103rd birthday. What a lovely character she is, insisting on coming out to the van to collect her own bread. She did tell Kevin that she was disappointed that her birthday card from the Queen had not arrived this year!
Alongside doorstep delivery came collaboration and diversification. We have worked with and supported a range of local businesses including Hugh Phillips Gower Butchers who have been delivering our bread alongside their meat products. We diversified rapidly by adding on other essentials and were committed to support our local businesses and strengthened our relationships with Nigel’s Dairy, Fforest Isaf Farm Eggs and some local ladies who have been baking some delicious cakes in order to earn some much-needed income. We were able to take out these additional products out to the community alongside our own baked goods to keep families well stocked and smiling through this challenging time.
We have very proudly, worked alongside Carmarthenshire County Council to provide our bread and other baked goods for the shielding boxes and food parcels that have been distributed across the county. It is hoped that this collaboration will continue post lockdown and we are working closely with the Council on a further opportunity. Whilst the pandemic has been challenging for everyone including our business, we firmly believe that the experience has allowed the strength of our communities to shine through and we are proud to have been a part of that.
Finally, we want to thank our loyal and dedicated team who have worked relentlessly and offered us the greatest of support during these challenging times.
Visit: www.facebook.com/HafodBakery
Bread is a staple, but as we have mentioned in previous articles, for many chocolate is another necessity.
Robins and Sons Chocolate
Thankfully we were already set up as an online business, however in addition to the online side which is more geared up to ‘Special Occasion Gifts’, we usually attend pop-up shops, weekly and monthly street / Farmers’ markets, and numerous fairs and events which provide our ‘bread and butter’ income streams from items sold for personal consumption as opposed to gifts e.g. chocolate bars, hot chocolate stirrers etc. So as this income stream was lost overnight, we had to tap into reasons other than the usual birthday, wedding, anniversary, Easter and Christmas, that would prompt a purchase.
Undoubtedly, the imposed lockdown due to COVID-19 was resulting in many people feeling isolated and/or missing friends and family, so we ran a promotion on an existing product line that wasn’t a particularly big seller, but was heart shaped i.e. the classic symbol of love.
As people couldn’t be there in person, they could still send ‘hugs, kisses, best wishes’ to loved ones for under £5, in the form of a Belgian Chocolate Heart, RRP £4.99 with free UK postage.
Positioned at the ideal price point (relatively low cost) with the added convenience of being small enough to fit through a letterbox, therefore an ideal ‘no contact / minimal contact delivery’ for those self isolating or not home to accept deliveries e.g. key workers, has resulted in it becoming one of our bestselling products. Plus having delicious chocolate instead of bills and junk mail come through the letterbox, is always a welcome surprise!
Visit: www.robinsandsons.co.uk
Covid-19 has been a challenging period for all but it has given businesses the opportunity to reflect, plan, create, tidy, clear out their heads offices or production areas. It is the entrepreneurial spirit in small businesses that comes to the fore and one such case is Ooh La La Patisserie. Amanda tells their story
Ooh La La Patisserie
Lockdown has pushed me into an area I’ve been meaning to get into, but never had the time.
It’s simple for most, but for my product it has taken a long time to find the right packaging.
Mail Order…. I’ve finally achieved it, and it has saved my summer. Also, I have diversified slightly by now offering our Macaron Celebration Cake.
This cake is full of indulgence, it is filled with lemon creme patisserie, lemon curd, chantilly cream fresh raspberries and a little touch of edible gold.
Visit: www.facebook.com/Oohlalapatisserie
Another example of using the time of Covid-19 to make the original systems better, but there has been no waffling around at Tregroes Waffles as they install new systems and software getting them through the Pandemic but also making the future brighter.
Tregroes Waffles Moves Its Website In To The 21st Century!
Here at Tregroes Waffles we’ve had our website, with a facility to order online, for a number of years. However, to be honest, it’s been a bit rubbish really! Hitherto, customers have had to complete an online form, and then either send a cheque, or make a BACS payment, to complete the order. We have done no marketing or promotion of the website whatsoever. So, despite doing everything we can to put potential customers off from ordering, we have found that they have persevered, crossed the barriers, gone through the hoops and are actually placing orders in increasing quantities!
Faced with this, we have bowed to the inevitable, and decided to help those desperate to get their waffle fix online. From the middle of July there will be a new ordering page on the website. This will, for the first time, allow customers to make secure online payments. In addition to this we are giving customers, who are purchasing their box of waffles as a gift, the option of having a bilingual sleeve to cover the box and present the gift in its best possible form. Initially the sleeve options are Thank You/Diolch, Happy Birthday/Penblwydd Hapus and A gift From Wales/Anrheg o Gymru, although if successful, more options will follow. Customers can also add a free personalised message to their gift box.
To support the new ordering process on the website, we have completely revamped and improved our social media presence, with regular posts highlighting developments, running competitions, providing recipe ideas and engaging with customers.
Visit: tregroeswaffles.co.uk
This series of articles demonstrates so well the brilliant adaptability of micro and small Welsh food and drink businesses in the toughest of times. But more than that it also shows how many will work with others either to boost their business directly or their community both of which are important. We all wish we could demonstrate the quality and scrumptiousness of their products but to do that all we ask is to go out and buy, or talk to the businesses online by telephone or, increasingly at some stage, in person.
It is often thought that artisan and local food and drink is expensive. Many main stream food and drink manufacturers use various additives to add to the taste to extend the shelf life to prevent early staleness and understandably so. Local food and drink does not have these additives and we would challenge anybody to find the equivalent quality and make up cheaper anywhere else.
Support local, buy local, or at least support and buy regionally and make your eating and drinking experience the very best, whilst at the same time helping the Welsh pound stay in Wales.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6
