Boxing Clever When it comes to its food and drink industry, Wales continues to punch far above its own weight when compared with bigger nations. Jonno Mack spoke to Rhiain Williams (Marketing Officer) and Manon Llwyd Rowlands (Director) at Cywain to find out how they are coaching Wales’ food and drink producers to success. For both businesses and consumers alike, much of their success comes down to being able to sample the best of Welsh produce as easily as possible. Think marketing and business strategy advice, from branding and social media to supply chain management and business plans - all are necessary, and all are provided by Cywain. This team of Welsh experts work with industry and consumers in mind. When did Cywain start trading and in what ways do you help Welsh industry and consumers? RW: Cywain is a Menter a Busnes project dedicated to supporting new and existing food and drink producers in Wales. Often, we come across individuals who are passionate about an idea they have and need help to steer that idea in the right direction in order to develop it further. There are so many things to think about when setting up a business and over the years, Cywain have been led by these businesses and have delivered the support they need to get their products to the consumer. Cywain have provided business support in areas such as marketing strategy, branding and social media as well as business planning and finance via group webinars and one to one sessions - all with the aim of reaching new markets and helping food and drink businesses in Wales to grow. We recently launched the Cywain Producer Map on our website (cywain.cymru) with the main aim of gathering all our producer clients in one online directory. This formed part of our #SupportLocalSupportWales campaign, encouraging consumers to discover the array of quality food and drink available on their doorstep. Needless to say, the past couple of years have been challenging for us all, but we pride ourselves on the fact that we were able to adapt our services rapidly in order to support our resilient producers throughout
this pandemic. We are now at the point of returning to live events again and are so excited to be able to do so. This gives us the chance to showcase the incredible talent of Wales’ food and drink producers both in Wales and further afield at destinations such as the Farm Shop and Deli Show in Birmingham and the Northern Restaurant & Bar Show in Manchester. These are just a few of the exciting opportunities coming up this year for producers to meet new buyers and showcase some of the best produce Wales has to offer.
Rhiain Williams
What do you think makes the Welsh food and drink industry so unique? RW: Wales and Wales’ brand is recognised globally and is gaining momentum on an international stage for its green pastures, castles, songs, sportsmen and food and drink. Welsh producers battle with the elements to bring fresh ingredients to their produce. Our winters are long and our summers short and yet the quality of the food and drink producer never wavers. Our passion defines us in Wales and that translates into our produce. How has Cywain evolved over the years and what range of producer clients are you now working with?
Manon Llwyd Rowlands
RW: The Cywain project has grown considerably over the years and has evolved in response to the needs of the food and drink producers here in Wales. Since 2018 Cywain have supported over 1000 food and drink businesses in Wales to grow. We have supported 432 business start-ups and specialise in helping clients to maximise their potential, enabling them to bring their world class products to market both here in the UK and internationally. Collaboration is key in driving growth and Cywain leads on the Food and Drink Wales’ Fine Food, Seafood and Honey Clusters here in Wales. They play a
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