A tasty A peek behind the scenes at one of Wales’ passionate food and drink producers is the perfect way to spend a summer’s day Tourists will flood the nation’s beaches and beauty spots this summer in search of the dream staycation. And many of Wales’ food and drink producers will be on hand to deliver the brilliant days out they desire by welcoming curious visitors to see how they make their wares. Food tourism was already on the rise in Wales, driven by a growing interesting in understanding how our food and drink is made, and many businesses were developing visitor experiences. But amid the ongoing pandemic and with the most people in the UK still opting not to holiday abroad, many more firms are exploring the benefits of welcoming tourists. Alongside growing revenues from paid tours, gift shops and cafes, producers can also connect directly with customers and highlight its passion for its products and explain its heritage and quality in detail, which in turn allows it to build its brand away from the pressures of finding third-party stockists.
Celteg wines is a family business that has been producing handcrafted, award-winning fruit wines, Welsh medieval mead wine, liqueurs, spirits and preserves since 1989 using recipes passed down the generations. At its site in Henllan, Llandysul, Ceredigion, visitors can interact with the producers on a tour of the facility to understand the wine-making process. There’s also the chance to savour the flavours at its on-site bistro and explore the neighbouring garden centre, Bedwen Plants, from which it sources some of its bistro’s ingredients. Glen Gair, who takes care of Celteg’s marketing, says visitor experiences are an important part of the business and have been an increasing focus since Covid. “It's the most authentic means in which we can currently connect with customers and highlight who we are as a business,” he says. “Prior to the pandemic, we were primarily touring trade shows and markets in order to promote the brand and make those vital connections.” With the Wales government stating it expects Wales to benefit directly from a rise in domestic UK tourism in future years, Celteg decided to expand its premises and focus on attracting visitors. Many of Celteg’s guests, Gair says, are hobbyist winemakers, who have a “shared interest in the craft and often want to hear about our journey and how that production process has developed or changed over time. We love having those conversations and we love to help people discover the craft of winemaking and to show how diverse and accessible it truly can be.” And that’s exactly the kind of unique experience on offer around Wales. Over in Cardigan another historic craft can be explored at St Dogmeal’s Y Felin. It is one of the last working water mills in Wales, having been restored to full working order by its current owners, the Hall family. It now produces a range of traditional flours using organic, biodynamic and heritage grain that is stoneground using only traditional methods and machinery, some of which is hundreds of years old. Tours of the mill offer an insight into traditional milling, which lives on through the master miller’s
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