Cheers to In difficult times like these, small acts of kindness, a positive outlook or an unbreakable resilience can make the world of difference. So what can we, at taste.blas, do to help? We can highlight some of the fantastic work being done by the people of the Welsh food and drink industry. Cheers to them all! It’s that time of year again. The trees are clinging to the last of their leaves, tractors have been harvesting furiously in the fields and Wales should be in the midst of a hearty season of food and drink festivals. However, we are facing a long and difficult winter as coronavirus resurges. During times of hardship the very best elements of human nature can prevail. In years to come, we will remember the heroes of the coronavirus era: the health workers, the posties, the bin men, and the Welsh food and drinks companies.
Cider at your door
Castle Dairies is a family run business that has been churning cream on the edge of Caerphilly for over 40 years. During lockdown, they were able to continue producing and increase their work with local charities. Just one of these many charities is the Huggard Homeless Centre. “With other businesses unable to support the [homeless] centre as much as they previously could, we knew how important a contribution would be to them during these difficult times,” said Fayebe Hyman, Castle Dairies Marketing Executive.
In 2008, Ben Culpin started making cider with his late stepfather, Jimmy McConnel. It tasted so good that they decided to see what others thought. And so Apple County Cider Co. was born. They went on to win ‘The Great Taste awards for Wales’ two years running – a first for cider – and remain the only cider company to achieve this.
They are allocating two per cent of profits each year to social, community and environmental projects. One of these is Community Foundation Wales, which supports young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
When the pandemic struck, Apple County Cider Co was hit hard. Culpin said: ‘We were down 90% on sales. All our clients are hotels, restaurants and bars and shops and they simply have not been reordering.’
castledairies.co.uk
But their spirit would not be dampened. During the lockdown, they started offering deliveries – and sales rose by 300%. And despite all the stress and worry for their own livelihoods, they went above and beyond to support our NHS heroes, pledging ten per cent of takings to the NHS. Now, they’re looking forward to a busy Christmas! applecountycider.co.uk
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Dairy for the disadvantaged
www.taste-blas.co.uk
During the lockdown they also donated butter to food blogger, Paul Brown, who made and delivered over 2000 free meals for NHS staff.
