CYWAIN HELPS LAUNCH WELSH FOOD & DRINK SHOWCASE

‘A Welsh Secret’, the first permanent shop dedicated to Welsh food and drink at Cardiff’s St David’s Dewi Sant Shopping Centre has officially opened – with support from Cywain.

A new addition to the capital’s flagship shopping centre, ‘A Welsh Secret’ provides growing companies with an enviable foodie showcase, and brings Welsh food and drink to the fore infront of thousands of potential customers each day.

Alongside shelves packed with Welsh produce, shoppers were treated to tasters, and several producers were on-hand to chat about their products. There was a sprinkling of celebrity too, with the appearance of Welsh rugby international Lee Byrne – who along with fellow rugby icons Shane Williams, Mike Phillips and James Hook founded the FabFour Coffee brand and also Perthyn Gin which was launched last year.

Ian Paul, the founder of ‘A Welsh Secret’, has been in the retail sector all his working life. He spotted a gap in the market which would benefit Welsh producers and bring a ‘missing element’ to the wide variety of shops at St David’s Dewi Sant Shopping Centre.

“Over the years, many seasonal pop-up shops in the St David’s Dewi Sant Shopping Centre have featured Welsh food and drink producers, but I don’t think they succeeded in everything they wanted to achieve,” he commented. “I thought I could help by opening a permanent shop that can support smaller businesses that do not have the range to open a full shop of their own. I am passionate about Welsh food and drink, and I want to support local businesses - and ‘A Welsh Secret’ also enhances the Centre’s retail offering and I’m actively looking to increase the range of Welsh products in the shop.”

Ian has been helped in his quest for suppliers by Cywain, which has been instrumental in helping him source Welsh food and drink products for his new venture. Designed and developed by Menter a Busnes, the Cywain project works with food and drink producers across Wales, helping them grow and build their businesses with support in a range of areas, including marketing, brand development and finance and facilitated by a network of development managers throughout Wales.

“The support from Cywain and their development manager Nia Môn has been amazing,” added Ian. “They have helped me to source products, and I’ve been put in touch with loads of food and drink producers – they have been absolutely great. It’s been amazing to work with the artisan producers their commitment, drive, and work ethic is truly inspiring.”

Cywain’s extensive client base and connections have helped make the “A Welsh Secret’ possible by tapping into the project’s expertise and experience in developing new market opportunities for Welsh producers. n

Cywain works with small and medium-sized producers to enable development, growth and awareness of Welsh food and drink. Areas of focus include helping to develop vision and capacity, adding value to products, improving sales and targeting new markets. For further information please visit: menterabusnes.cymru/cywain

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