Angharad Holmes from Anglesey transfers her love of local foods into a thriving business

Hospital Project Manager Angharad Holmes was born and bred on Anglesey, as were her family, – at least the last 8 generations of them!  After a career as a midwife she returned to live on the family farm and was confronted by a need to do something to keep the overrun farm going.

After the preserves Angharad made for local fetes and fairs proved a hit, her husband suggested she go into full-scale production.

Angharad turned to PRIME Cymru for help with her business planning and she has now turned the 70-acre family farm at Penmynydd, into an booming organic business and the preserves she started producing as a hobby are proving a sweet success. She has converted to organic farming and reared several unusual breeds of hens some of which produced unusual blue, green and pure white eggs which were sold at the farm gates, food fairs and local shows.

Angharad’s brand preserves were launched with sell-out results, delicatessens and five star bed and breakfasts are now regular customers and they are already being sold across North Wales by the Welsh Assembly Government’s company Broga. She has already won two “Great Taste” awards for her Angharad’s Penmynydd Piccalilli and Angharad’s Raspberry and Cassis conserve.

She is venturing out into Anglesey Farmers Hampers now! She feels there is so much good food on Anglesey that it deserves a showcase and the hampers will of course include her own produce.

Angharad has found the guidance of a PRIME Cymru mentor invaluable in helping her on her path to business creation and they continues to maintain contact. She said “Our mentor has been wonderful and I am so glad you put us in touch with him. Everything is going well with the farm business”

Anglesey Farm Foods can be found at www.cynnyrchffermmon.com