‘Every day when I wake up, I thank the Lord I’m Welsh.’ Our food and drink producers could be forgiven for indulging in a nostalgic sing-a-long to that 1990s Catatonia classic ‘International Velvet’ if the increasingly recognised value of ‘Welshness’ to the nation’s food and drink industry is anything to go by.
At a time when transparency on the origins and production of food and drink has never been so important, recent Welsh Government research has highlighted the positive impact provenance has on the country’s producers.
The research is part of the considerable support from Welsh Government offered to food and drink suppliers, fuelled by a trenchant belief that Wales is the best place in the UK to launch and develop a food business. Support ranges from Food & Drink Wales to Cywain cluster groups to world-class food technology centres, skills coaching and the government’s Insight programme. The Insight programme offers market data and future trends to ensure businesses are broadly supported and encouraged to produce quality food and drink with a proud heritage. By constantly scanning the horizon for emerging trends and markets, it enables member businesses to achieve competitive advantage through the latest information on markets in Wales, UK and countries worldwide. It forms a bedrock of advice offered through one-to-one business support and the Welsh Government’s Cluster network programme.
Much of this research is freely available through seminars and on the website (businesswales.gov.wales/foodanddrink/welsh-food-drink-performance) which provides everything from industry overviews to deep-dives that provide the finer detail.
To that end, Food and Drink Wales have commissioned a series of research to better understand customers’ and businesses attitudes towards Welsh food and drink.
Each piece of research demonstrates that shoppers and guests desire more Welsh food and drink in retail and out of home venues.
The research undertaken by the Welsh Government’s Insight programme aimed to understand the ‘Value of Welshness’ to shoppers and guests in Wales and across the UK – Welshness in food service as well as retail – shows Wales is linked to images of family, tradition, lush pasture, great scenery, clear nutrient rich waters, holidays, great memories and belonging as far as growing numbers of consumers are concerned.
English shoppers surveyed were shown to have a particularly strong affinity to Wales with one in five (20 per cent) feeling ‘partly Welsh’ and one-third more likely to buy a product if they saw ‘Welshness’ on a pack.
The good news for Welsh producers is that the natural association people in Wales, the UK and beyond have with the country and its landscape influences shopper perceptions of the attributes of Welsh food and drink, with fresh, natural, quality and taste all strongly connected in shoppers’ minds; particularly when it comes to primary produce.
For English shoppers, the Welsh landscape and countryside dominate their view of Wales, which resonates strongly with a view that Welsh products are natural and fresh.
In fact, 42 per cent of UK consumers associate Wales with natural food and drink, compared with an overall figure of 33 per for the UK as a whole.
For Welsh guests specifically, having more Welsh items on the menu was important because 76 per cent saw it as supporting Welsh farming; 68 per cent supporting local producers and the local economy; 43 per cent perceived it to be fresher; 34 per cent better for the environment and 33 per cent better quality.
When asked to pick their top five most important reasons for choosing a venue when eating out, one in five guests selected the availability of Welsh ingredients and alcohol brands. More important, in fact, than healthy options or promotional deals.
A whopping 43 per cent of guests would be willing to pay more for a dish with Welsh ingredients, while the vast majority (89 per cent) felt that venues should promote their offers of Welsh food and drink, strongly supporting the notion that Welshness adds value to the out of home market.
One in five Welsh shoppers selected ‘stocking a good range of Welsh meat, dairy and produce’ as a top five reason for shopping at their main shop retailer.
This is actually ranked higher than having a great range of own-label products. The main reasons selected in the top five were low prices and value for money, product quality and local convenience.
Overall, it is clear that for many Welsh shoppers a strong range of Welsh produce is a retailer loyalty driver and Welsh Food and Drink and the broader values associated with Welsh products (quality, freshness, sustainability) are rated highly by shoppers.
And across product categories, those considered closest to the imagery of Wales (countryside, landscape) are deemed to benefit most, with meat and dairy scoring highest.
Of course, Welsh Lamb is already well-known and well-perceived both in the UK and internationally, but the fact that there are 700-plus food and drink manufacturers in Wales comes as a revelation to some buyers. This is why one of Welsh Government’s main strategies is to create a strong and vibrant Welsh food and drink sector with a global reputation for excellence, along with being one of the most environmentally and socially responsible supply chains in the world.
Based on Anglesey, in the shadow of Snowdonia, the Dylan’s chain of restaurants and general goods stores is, perhaps, the epitome of a business steeped in Welshness.
“Welshness is at the heart of everything that we look to do,” asserts spokesperson Dave Retallick. “All our retail and ambient range is produced on Anglesey – for instance, all our sauces are made, bottled, labelled and dispatched from there.
“And whether our products are bound for 120 farm shops across Wales or to Selfridges or The Co-op, we are giving our team the opportunity to work where they live somewhere within their own community.”
Dave says the Dylan’s ethos is to aim for its products to be less seasonal.
“To us, the value of Welshness goes a lot deeper than what’s written on a label,” he explains. “To have ‘Made in Wales’ on a product effectively gives it a seal of approval which we feel is a really important stamp to have.
“Other larger companies may outsource certain products, and I totally understand that, but we always strive to have as much control over our products as possible.
“Bread, pasties, patisseries, desserts – you name it, we want customers to know that everything we make comes from where we are and that what’s on their plate has not travelled very far.
“When we talk about the value of Welshness we should also remember the value to the community – having a Welsh identity helps us secure that.
“When you attend the Blas Cymru/Taste Wales conference and exhibition and see what other businesses it attracts that in itself is a massive statement – not just the numbers of companies but the vitality of the industry they represent.
“This, coupled with the support and tenacity Welsh Government provides makes a really good statement that, for other people, makes Blas Cymru/Taste Wales hard to miss! On top of that such events help to raise awareness as well as boost food tourism.”
In The Welsh Wind, the award-winning distillery based on the west Wales coast a few miles north of Cardigan, is another business much-rooted within the local community.
Ellen Wakelam, ITWW’s founder, director and owner, grew up in Ceredigion and made an active choice to come back and set up the business with her partner.
“The value of Welshness provides a framework within which to work,” says spokesperson Sally Sellwood. “Everything we do comes back to our origins as a brand, and these are inextricably linked with Wales and to Ceredigion specifically.
“Our Eccentric brand – a range of Welsh gin and rum craft – is also firmly based in Wales.
“Our ethos has always been based on telling stories of this part of Wales – hence the botanical profile of our gin, inspired by cargoes imported into the port of New Quay in the 19th century – and our ongoing project to produce a single malt Welsh whisky produced from barley grown within five miles of the distillery, malted here, distilled on-site, matured and bottled all in west Wales.
“This sense of place really resonates with customers, both retail and trade – people want to get behind a brand with an authentic story and we offer that in spades.
“As a Welsh business, we’re also hugely appreciative of the support we receive from the Welsh Government in terms of opportunities and support for the brand and our products.
“In The Welsh Wind has worked with Business Wales and the Accelerate Growth Programme and we continue to work with Mentera (Menter a Busnes) and Cywain, supporting development across all areas of the business from staff training to process improvement and the introduction of new technologies into our production.
“We are actively looking at ways to introduce more visible aspects of Welshness into our brand and communications and this is an ongoing project.
“Blas Cymru/Taste Wales was a fantastic event to be involved with. We were excited to be showcased alongside the best of Wales and it was a great opportunity to network and make connections which we’ve followed up with going forward.”
A similar mantra is repeated at the The Welsh House bar and restaurant chain whose core value is ‘to support Welsh suppliers of all sizes and showcase the best of Wales throughout our menus and experiences’, according to Brand Director Carys Cobley.
“Each Welsh House has created a loyal repeat customer base demonstrating the community’s commitment to ‘support local’ also,” she says. “The brand attracts a huge amount of interest from tourists who are all keen to experience Welsh produce.
“Whilst researching and developing The Welsh House brand, we identified that the Welsh cuisine often came at a premium, which didn’t fit our accessible and affordable ethos.
“Therefore, the team along with our suppliers have developed menus to ensure that experiencing Welsh dishes can be enjoyed and experienced by all demographics.
“We have found that guests are more intrigued than ever to understand where the produce on their plate came from.
“So much so that we created a story booklet for each diner, detailing and showcasing the true authenticity of our supply chain, proudly exhibiting all the fantastic Welsh food and drink suppliers we work alongside to create the full Welsh House experience.
“The aim of our customers is to attract more guests and diners, increase sales and therefore increase loyalty with repeat visits.
“Blas Cymru/Taste Wales is a great event to meet and connect with industry leaders working within Welsh food and drink and is one of the most valuable events in the calendar.
“It provides great exposure for hospitality brands, not just in Wales but internationally, as well as supporting our mission which is for Welsh cuisine to be recognised on a global scale.”
The stated aim of Castell Howell, one of the UK’s leading independent food wholesalers, is to close ‘the need gap’ between guests and businesses and work with them in developing and designing their menus. “We also advise them on the ingredients they use,” says Marketing Lead Shaun Pinney.
“Over the past few years and since the ‘Buy Local’ movement, customers have become more aware of products that have strong provenance and nine out of ten diners, according to a Food and Drink Wales report, think it’s important that venues have a good range of dishes with Welsh ingredients and that they promote them in venues with 43 per cent of customers happy to pay more.
“For example, a pub may have a cheese burger on its menu, however, by swapping the standard burger, its cheese and relish for Welsh alternatives elevates the dish and creates a uniqueness to the item, creating a ‘Hero Item” for their menu, which can help with repeat visits.
“Embracing Welsh produce on a restaurant’s menu is more than a culinary choice – it’s a celebration of local heritage, a commitment to provenance and sustainability and a way to share the rich flavours of Wales on every plate.”
He describes Blas Cymru/Taste Wales event as a great opportunity for networking and ‘perfect’ for businesses to connect with new customers, increase their brand’s visibility and build relationships.
And the company’s Welsh Foods Specialist, Lindsey Hamer, describes Blas Cymru/Taste Wales as ‘excellent’, from a buyer’s point of view.
“It’s the perfect platform to efficiently see new products and suppliers. The event also gives producers a diary marker to work towards to bring out new products, which is critical when bringing in new ranges to Castell Howell.
“It’s also a brilliant showcase to see what’s new and trending in the industry, which for us can help keep our customers ahead of the curve and stay innovative in a rapidly evolving market.”
When it comes to promoting Brand Wales, Welsh Government are building from a strong foundation. We now know that Welsh produce has a great reputation for being high quality, wholesome and expertly-made but the Government’s stated aim is to build on existing strengths, using a ‘hero and halo’ approach and develop a family of ‘hero’ products that represent the very best of Wales.
Evidence shows that promoting a clear ‘Welsh’ identity on products often adds considerable value to our remarkable brands.
Over 80 per cent of shoppers polled in Wales would prefer to buy Welsh products when presented with a like-for-like choice, with 72 per cent of businesses wanting more Welsh food and drink in their shops, and nine out of ten guests saying it is important that venues offer a good selection of dishes with Welsh ingredients while half would like more Welsh items on menus.
The importance of a Welsh offering was highlighted with two-thirds (66 per cent) of English and Scottish visitors and six out of 10 of Welsh visitors saying that having Welsh on a menu makes them more likely to visit with a quarter saying that not having Welsh on the menu discouraged them from visiting a venue. The strong association between Welshness and enhanced experience is borne out by visitors actively seeking venues that offer a fair amount or lots of Welsh ingredients on menus.
These will then be vigorously promoted, helping them to drive sales and dominate their markets. The ‘halo effect’ follows naturally: the whole industry can benefit from a strong core of high-profile brands. And, by association, the reputation of Wales as a whole will be increased further.
The businesses listed above will be among those attending Blas Cymru/Taste Wales, Wales’s signature multi-faceted programme to promote the Welsh food and drink industry in a national and international setting, this autumn.
Blas Cymru/ Taste Wales delivers against commitments in the Vision for the Food and Drink industry from 2021, to build on the significant growth in the sector in recent years, further develop the global reputation of Wales as a food nation and enable our businesses to proactively sell their quality food and drink to the rest of the UK and the world.
To allow Blas Cymru/ Taste Wales to develop further, the event will divide into a conference which grew from the exhibition at previous Blas Cymru/ Taste Wales events, and a brokerage, which also evolved from the meet-the-buyer trade activity at previous events.
The first Blas Cymru/ Taste Wales Conference will be held on October 24 at Venue Cymru, Llandudno. The conference will replace the exhibition element formerly part of the trade event. The next Blas Cymru/ Taste Wales Brokerage will take place in October 2025 at the ICCW Newport.
Aimed at a business audience, the new Blas Cymru/ Taste Wales Conference will include practical seminars, industry workshops, expert panels, and specialist surgeries along with an opportunity to learn more on the suite of Welsh Government support available for the food and drink industry in Wales.
In summary, Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies, said: ”It’s heartening to see the positive light in which Welsh food and drink produce is viewed. The Value of Welshness research unequivocally demonstrates how embracing our Welshness is a huge plus for our food sector. This impression is grounded in fact - Wales produces amazing food and drink and we have the natural resources, people, traditions and expertise to excel. We should all take every opportunity to support our first-class Welsh food and drink producers and restaurateurs, by buying Welsh whenever and wherever we can.”
So as Catatonia once put it so memorably, Welsh food and drink producers have ample reasons to celebrate their unique selling point that gives them that vital extra edge over rival competitors, every single day!
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