The first project that we have funded from the sales of the gin to date has been to install a UV tap on the Island and part of the Refill Cymru and UK movement. This has meant that the shop on the Island has been able to remove single use plastic water bottles, which they had previously sold to visitors to Ramsey. A very cool and 'tidy' (a Welshism) project!
Ramsey Island is an iconic landmark of St Davids life. The legends that surround it, the wildlife that thrives on it and the waters that beat against it all make up the rich tapestry of this magnificent place.
This unique gin captures clean mint and floral tones that speak loudly of their home, containing botanicals hand foraged from Ramsey - Water Mint from St Justinian’s Well plus Ling & Bell Heather that surrounds it. Expect fresh green island aromas and flavours, cut through with menthe aqua.
In addition to the botanicals from the Island, for the first time, we will be using the actual well water from the UV tap that we have installed to cut our final product!!!
Try with a bay leaf (be brave!) Clean green flavours await you which will become an herbaceous and audacious serve.
A donation from the sale of each bottle of Ramsey Island Welsh Dry Gin and other products will go towards funding projects on and around Ramsey Island that are essential for the continuation of the imperative work carried out by the RSPB.
You can purchase the Gin & artwork in person at St Davids Gin & Kitchen in St Davids Pembrokeshire.
PRE-ORDER YOURS TODAY THESE ORDERS WILL BE FULFILLED IN NOVEMBER.
**SADLY WE ARE NOT ABLE TO DELIVER OUTSIDE THE UK**
For all products sold by St. David’s Distillery, St. David’s Distillery will donate a minimum of £5,000 to RSPB Sales Ltd, which gives all its distributable profits through Gift Aid to the RSPB (charity registration England and Wales no 207076 and Scotland no SC037654).
]]>"We have both been into home brew for a long time, I started when I was in collage studying forestry. I did a lot of wine back then, more recently I had moved onto whole-grain beer. I enjoyed learning about the brewing process and how different variations on the same recipe gave different results.
I met Mike back in 2015 through a mutual friend. With three other friends we then set up "Shed Club" which involved going to each others houses every Wednesday night and carrying out jobs that needed doing (splitting logs, putting up shelves, fixing things etc) While doing this we would all compare our latest home brew creation, which usually ended up with us feeling a bit rough on a Thursday!
The business started back in 2016 while at Shed Club. Mike had made some mead, and I had never tried it. I tried it and thought it was lovely! We wanted the world to know how good mead is! We did a lot of research and experiments and in December 2016 we set up Mountain Mead Ltd."
"Since setting up the business we have been flat out, we can't produce enough of it. We are constantly experimenting with different honeys and flavours. The mead industry is growing at a fast rate and we're happy to be involved in it, it's very exciting. Me and Mike currently have day jobs that pay the bills, but are moving closer and closer to realising our dream of working on the mead full time.
We know that we have a quality product that people love to drink. People usually have a idea of what it will taste like before they try our meads, and are often quite surprised at the taste. As well as a sweet mead, as you'd expect, we have some dry meads that are similar to a white wine. We want everyone to know that mead doesn't have to be sweet and sickly, you can in fact have a glass of our Melyn Yr Eithin with your meal. It goes great with cheese!"
"Basically it's honey mixed with water and then fermented to create alcohol. There are variations of this e.g an acerglyn, where you add maple syrup to the honey instead of water. Acerglyns do not have to be sweet, it is possible to make a dry one.
Some of the bigger companies add 51% honey and the rest is sugar to save cost. The jury is out whether this can be called a mead! We only use honey, nothing but 100% honey in all of our meads."
"We make everything at our meadery in Tregarth. We mix the honey, ferment, filter, bottle, cork and label everything on site."
"All of our meads are bird names in Welsh. Every bird we name a mead after is on the Red List of Birds of Conservation Concern in the UK. We want to highlight the threat that the birds and the bees are under by bringing awareness to them, especially in Wales."
"Both of our favourites are the same, Grugair Ddu. We use an orange blossom honey and while its fermenting we add vanilla pods, cinnamon sticks and cloves. We initially did a small experimental batch but this sold out in just over a month. We have now ramped up production to keep up with demand, not just of this mead but all of the others as well."
"Moving into a bigger premises! We are squeezed into our current building and could do with a lot more room so that we can produce a lot more mead! We want to be able to employ someone so that the business can keep growing."
"They have high standards and morals, wanting to promote everything good about Wales and what we have to offer the world. They are supporting artisan producers of all sorts across Wales, helping to create jobs for local people and promoting the importance of the landscape we have."
Our Community Partners at Yr Ardd Fadarch, The Mushroom Garden in Snowdonia, had some fantastic coverage on BBC’s Countryfile last Sunday evening. As a result, orders started pouring in on STDAVIDS.WALES for their wonderful mushroom products. Great right? A vendor had some media coverage and sold some of their products? That is great, but it’s only half the story. Or 54% of the story to be precise. Of the orders on that Sunday night that came from searches for Yr Ardd Fadarch and baskets that contained their products, 46% of the order value was spent on other Community Partners’ products!
Because when you search for a product, and find yourself on a website that has lots of beautiful products created by other Welsh producers, if you’ve got any time you’ll look around won’t you? That’s why we encourage our Community Partners to shout about not only their own products, but others too. Together we can work to rise that tide, and float all of our boats.
]]>In particular, we discovered that Ravens have the oldest association with RSPB Ramsey Island of any of the island's breeding birds. Inspired by the history of the Raven, we commissioned a custom piece of beautiful art for the bottle. Every label now features a swirling, majestic Raven, ensuring the bottle captures as much of the spirit of the Island as the Gin itself.
Raven (Corvus corax)
Length : 60-68cm
Weight: 800-1500g
Wingspan: 120-150cm
Lifespan: up to 20 years
UK breeding population: pairs: 7,400 pairs
Ravens have the oldest association with RSPB Ramsey Island of any of the island's breeding birds. The vikings probably encountered them during raids into Pembrokeshire in the 8th-10th Centuries as they named the island 'Hrafn-ey', old Norse for 'Raven's Isle'. Over time this name morphed into the familiar 'Ramsey' in use today.
Between 2-4 pairs breed each year on the island's wild cliffs, building a large ramshackle nest from heather branches. Fed on a diet of rabbit and seabird eggs, in a good year up to 4 young will fledge per nest. Pairs can mate for life, using the same nest site year after year.
In autumn, flocks of up to 100 birds gather to take advantage of the glut of grey seal afterbirth as the pupping season gets underway.
With an impressive vocal repertoire of 33 call types, the majestic male raven, the 'sentinel', guards the precious territory year round, the skies of Ramsey filled by his tumbling display flight and loud, unmistakable calls announcing the island as his own.
There are imminent projects that need funding, these include:
1. The installation of a UV tap which will remove the need for plastic bottles on the island.
2. The annual gannet research projects and periodic aerial survey on Grassholm along with the annual mission to rescue birds trapped in plastic marine litter.
3. And one we are particularly excited about – the expansion of juniper on Ramsey Island!
Remnants of an ancient population of juniper bushes can still be seen on Ramsey. Thought to be relics of the last Ice Age, the remaining bushes could be up to 1000 years old. Sadly, only one lone female plant bears those all important berries and she currently has no male bushes around her!
A project about 27 years ago saw juniper cuttings taken from the island and grown about 1.5 miles away on the mainland. There was a plan to reintroduce the trees to the island, but unfortunately the rabbit population saw to it that they weren’t there for long!
We are working with both the RSPB and Natural Resources Wales to find an ideal location where the juniper can flourish undisturbed by rabbits. We see this as an opportunity to help Ramsey Island regain a once successful species, and a way of giving something truly special back to the Island.
Being in the water cooler industry, the majority of our customers are office
based. Coffee plays a huge part in office life and our customers started asking
for coffee machines, there was a demand and so we began offering the push
button Flavia sachet machines. The coffee industry has literally exploded over
the last few years and our customers wanted a higher quality offering for their
staff which led us onto researching coffee bean supply and bean to 2 cup
machines. After a lot of research we decided to create our own coffee brand
and blend and Cariad Coffee was born!
The coffee beans are a medium roast 100% Arabica bean. Our beans are triple
certified and are sourced for Ethiopia, central America and Sumatra. We
designed our own blend but we don’t currently roast the beans ourself, this is a
further plan.
Get yourself and grinder and grind your own beans to enjoy freshly ground
coffee at home.
We like your mission and share your ethical values and enjoy being part of
something new a fresh from the beginning.
STDAVIDS.WALES has core values that promote changing the way business is done in Wales. We've had enough of large organisations taking profit out of small communities, to benefit shareholders that have no real interest in local communities. We want to create good quality, full time jobs in Wales.
Our core values are:
The majority of our net profits goes directly into making #ABetterWales, and this is at the heart of everything we do.
While it is free to list on the site, we make no secret of the fact that we take a commission on sales. However it's what we do with this commission that matters. Of our net profit, 51% goes to the STDAVIDS.WALES Foundation, a charity who's mission it is to create #ABetterWales by providing financial support to ideas that reduce poverty and unemployment in Wales. A business may need funding to create jobs for currently unemployed people, or someone may have an awesome concept for a business that would reduce homelessness in Wales, they just need some support to get it off the ground, and it's here that the Foundation can help.
There are 3 main ways in which you can support us :-
1. Have a browse and buy! (Click here)
By buying through STDAVIDS.WALES you're in the unique position of supporting local business while contributing to #ABetterWales.
We’re looking for support, help and investment into the Peninsula Group to help progress several projects that we are exploring at the moment.
We need business partners, investors and advisors.
Get in touch with us if you'd like to find out more! Email neil.walsh@stdavids.wales.
3. Become a Community Partner!
We are always on the lookout for new community partners who would like to sell through the site. To find out more email rob.marsh@stdavids.wales.
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'It's great that STDAVIDS.WALES is trying to help people like me who are stuck at home too scared to go out there and do something. It's helped me build my confidence up and it's about showing people that they're stuff is good enough for them to go out there and do it! It's a whole new world, but it's very exciting!'
'I think STDAVIDS.WALES ties together all the brilliant places, activities and produce that locals work hard to create, and it’s fitting to have a one-stop-shop for visitors to find these innovative, healthy projects and businesses in St Davids.
Of course, being the mother of 21 and 19 year-old children, the idea that STDAVIDS.WALES will provide funding for youngsters to live and work in this dynamic community fills me with great joy.'
- Lisa Smith, St Davids Yoga
'My ethos has always been to support local independent businesses where possible, and also to shout from the rooftops how great the handmade scene is. STDAVIDS.WALES has that same message so a perfect fit I reckon!'
- Aquila Cook, Love and Lovelier
'I’m very excited to be selling through STDAVIDS.WALES. This company shares the same values I feel very strongly about, i.e. supporting welsh businesses and offering quality, handmade unique gifts.'
- Rachel, Pembrokeshire Moments
'We love our local community and the county that we live and work in. We think that Pembrokeshire is full of amazing businesses and STDAVIDS.WALES is a great way of representing us all to a bigger audience.
As a rural community, it is so important to stick together and support our local businesses. It’s nice to be part of something that is not only pushing our products out but also bringing profits and positivity back into the community.'
- Bluestone Brewing Co.
At the foot of Harlech Castle in the Snowdonia National Park in beautiful North Wales, a unique flock of sheep are created. This is the base for The Rocking Sheep Company, run by Simon who crafts these beautiful sheep, that are so much more than a toy. We caught up with Simon to talk about how the company came to be;
Charlotte launched Good Carma Foods in 2013 in honour of her mother, Lynne, who died earlier that year. Charlotte has been a vegan since 2010, and says 'I wanted to help my mother by offering an alternative to dairy cheese without sacrificing flavour but using healthy ingredients as well.' She began developing her vegan Parmesan alternative, starting with farmers markets, and Good Carma Foods is now a limited company with products available from supermarkets and in other parts of Europe!
The products themselves are all free from dairy, wheat and gluten and contain no additives or preservatives. The health benefits to a vegan diet are massive, as all the products contain added vitamin B12, which many vegans struggle to eat enough of. However Charlotte says the products are not just for vegans, and aside from those with nut allergies, they appeal to everyone! They don't compromise on taste, with the Flavour Fusion Original parmesan alternative winning multiple awards, and the Spread Sensation winning a Great Taste award in 2017.
If you're thinking of going dairy free, or even if you're an old hand at a vegan diet and want to try something new, Good Carma Foods alternatives look like a brilliant, versatile way to do it. Recipes recommended by Charlotte include 'Macaroni Cheese' made with Spread Sensation as well as 'Cauliflower Cheese' with Flavour Fusion. The Sweet Potato wedges also look fab - what's not to like?
So what's next for Good Carma Foods? New products are always in the pipeline, and as well as adding new products to the range, Charlotte hopes to export to other countries in the near future.
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Like many working parents, Quil acknowledges the complexities of running a business while raising a family. 'Like most 'creatives' probably, I don't think I do a great job of balancing! I work whilst the kids are at school, and sometimes a bit whilst they are busy doing other things in the afternoons and evenings.' So Quil snatches any time she can to whip up a mini bunting!
Love & Lovelier's name came from Quil's wish to bring across a certain message - 'I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to sell when I started out so I wanted a name that wasn't too definitive, but that had a message of thoughtfulness and love behind it,' says Quil. She sources her clay and glazes from a company in Newport, and by the looks of things, as little as possible is wasted. Her heart brooches are created out of the cut outs from her love spoons, making them each that little bit more unique.
I first started taking an interest in photography when my husband bought himself a good camera (A Canon 6D). John quickly found that he wasn’t very interested in taking the camera off automatic mode. I, however, to my surprise loved experimenting and was ‘hooked’ on photography within a very short space of time. I’m very lucky that John has supported me in my business wholeheartedly and I quickly traded in his camera for a 7D MK II and now have managed to get myself a 5D Mk III. The 1DX appeals to me as it’s focussing quality is second to none but at over £5K it’s still on my wish list! Over the years I’ve invested in continuous training and workshops and added to my collection of lenses and filters so that I can get the shots that I want of Pembrokeshire. I’m still learning (as I think every photographer is) and will be going to Skomer Island in May with some world-class photographers which will stretch my imagination and skills again.
I’m delighted with the support of so many local gift shops who have chosen to buy my locally made souvenirs of Pembrokeshire – I currently stock 40 outlets in Pembrokeshire with items from my range. I try and offer a personalised, bespoke service so that my lovely customers get the images they want on whatever products that appeal to them. My work consists of taking images of the beautiful views and wildlife Pembrokeshire has to offer and then putting them on to products that visitors can take home.
Having grown up on a farm between Marloes and Dale I understand the importance of supporting local so it’s paramount to me to try and source supplies as close to home as possible. My cards are printed in Goodwick, my magnets are made in mid Wales and most of the products I print on are sourced from a company in North Wales. My textiles (tea towels and cushions) are printed in the UK which unfortunately make them more expensive than cheaper imports but I believe that small steps can help regenerate the UK economy. I am a board member of Pembrokeshire Tourism and enjoy being able to promote Pembrokeshire whenever possible ; with so much stunning coastline and a diverse range of tourist attractions there really is something for everyone in our county.
My favourite place to be is Skomer Island when the puffins return to breed. I also love being out on the water dolphin and porpoise watching but unfortunately these trips are few and far between for me now. On land I guess my favourite beach is Marloes as I spent so much time there as a child and it’s vastness makes any problems seem very insignificant so it’s a good place to go to take the stresses of the world away!
I’m constantly trying to add different new items to my range so I hope in future to be able to expand outside of Pembrokeshire with some of my gift ideas. I’ve been working with a graphic designer at Swansea University and he has produced some lovely designs from several of my photographs, e.g. Skomer Island puffin and St Davids Cathedral. I have produced a 2019 calendar this year incorporating all my favourite spots in the north of the county.
I’m very excited to be selling through STDAVIDS.WALES. This company shares the same values I feel very strongly about, i.e. supporting welsh businesses and offering quality, handmade unique gifts.
This week we've caught up with Lisa Smith of St Davids Yoga to talk all things, well, yoga in St Davids!
I went to my first yoga class when our son was 6 weeks old because I was suffering with a big dose of what was then referred to as ‘baby-blues’. It’s only 19 years ago, but post-natal depression wasn’t talked about as it is now, but fortunately someone told me Yoga would help and when I got home from my first class, I clearly remember feeling different, better. I knew that I’d found something that would sustain me, in body, breath and spirit, possibly for the rest of my life. Really! From my first class I was hooked. I didn’t ever plan to become a yoga teacher, but the deeper my practice became, the more I wanted to learn about the theory and yoga philosophy. I did a few weekends and short courses, and, like many, started a teacher training course with no intention of actually teaching! However, having spent 24 years as a ‘real-world’ teacher in post-16 education, I guess the transition was inevitable. It’s certainly not a decision I regret!
For me, yoga has never been just about my body, although it has kept me strong and flexible for 19 years. Without any doubt, the effect the practice has on my mind and spirit is most profound, it’s my faith, and it keeps me grounded. Yoga is (or should be) about holistic wellbeing – it touches everything. It opens your mind and your heart to all the possibilities life has.
Viniyoga is the legacy of the great teacher Krishnamacharya and his son Desikachar, who carried on his father’s teachings. Desikachar called his method Viniyoga, and we have him to thank for Yoga’s dissemination to the west in the 1970s. Vinyoga is a Sanskrit word which literally means ‘special application’, i.e. it’s how you apply your knowledge. In fact, you could have a Viniyoga of anything i.e. the viniyoga of making an omelette. It’s not Vini–Yoga, it’s the viniyoga of Yoga! So, Viniyoga is not simply about mechanical, bodily movements or postures. You will perform many of the classical asana (postures) in a Viniyoga class, but with special attention to the breath. This draws the mind into the practice and helps move towards the goal of Yoga, which Patanjali describes as “stilling the activity of the mind” in chapter 1 of the Yoga Sutra.
Check out the teacher’s credentials and experiences, and try a few different styles of Yoga to find one that suits your needs. There’s so much out there, so talk to teachers, ask them about their approach, their training and the content of the class. I’d also say sign up to at least 1 term before you decide whether it’s for you or not. My experience in my first class is unusual, Yoga is a slow-burn, there is no quick fix.
Yes! This place is deeply spiritual, it’s in the earth and the air we breathe, it’s infectious and inspires me on a daily basis. The people here are special too, the community is vibrant, eclectic, and I have recently been feeling that there is a real shift, a drive and an energy, towards creating a healthy, wholesome hub here, and I love being part of that. St Davids should be the UK’s no.1 wellbeing destination - we have it ALL.
I am very lucky that my ‘job’ is teaching yoga in St Davids. From early childhood I came to St Davids on holiday, and when our children were little we came here every year wondering what we would do if we lived here! ...and here I am! Dreams DO come true.
I think STDAVIDS.WALES ties together all the brilliant places, activities and produce that locals work hard to create, and it’s fitting to have a one-stop-shop for visitors to find these innovative, healthy projects and businesses in St Davids.
Of course, being the mother of 21 and 19 year-old children, the idea that STDAVIDS.WALES will provide funding for youngsters to live and work in this dynamic community fills me with great joy.
As well as 3 General Yoga Classes per week in St Davids Wellbeing (+3 in Haverfordwest!) I also run workshops on Yoga for Pregnancy and Birth, 1:1 Yoga Therapy and have an Art of Viniyoga (70hr Yoga Foundation Course) starting in September. I'm also running various workshops throughout the summer, the next of which is on Friday 29th June.
Bluestone beer couldn't be produced anywhere other than at Bluestone. The water that they use filters down from the core of the Preseli Mountains to a well on Tyriet Farm land at the foot of the hills. This spring water is so pure that it goes straight from the well into the beers, with no filtering or chemicals added! This is what give Bluestone beer it's unique, pure and solid taste.
As well as caring about the beer they produce and the team that produce it, they are also committed to sustainable, environmentally friendly production. From using solar panels to heat the water to recycling waste hops as mulch for the farm, they are through and through an environmentally friendly brewery.
As the business has progressed, they now put on events throughout the summer, as well as welcoming visitors for brewery tours. Bluestone Brewing Co. is a Welsh business that is going from strength to strength.
STDAVIDS.WALES are thrilled to have them on board. As a community partner Bluestone Brewing Co. reflect our core values completely, and are excited to be part of promoting Welsh businesses.
Emily, their head of marketing, said of being part of STDAVIDS.WALES -
Couldn't have put it better ourselves - Cheers!
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Katy has been a keen knitter since her mother and grandmother taught her at 5 years old, however until last year it was very much a hobby. Katy would knit for her 5 children or create gifts for friends. That changed in October of last year when a friend suggested that she could sell her creations: 'No!' she thought, 'they're not good enough to sell!' Not one to take no for an answer, her friend promptly set up a Facebook page without telling her, and she got her first sale within 24 hours. 'Oh, maybe they are then!'
A few months on she met up with Rob of STDAVIDS.WALES and started thinking more seriously about selling online. The pressure of fulfilling orders was a worry at first, she says, but actually with a bit of encouragement she's now confident she can do it! Once the products were up on the site and she saw them through someone else's eyes, it started to sink in that they really are beautiful. It's given her a boost in confidence which has seen her set up her own website and begin to supply other shops.
Where does Katy want to go from here? Well, she's very much going with the flow. Going forward with a new found confidence and more free time as her children begin to start school, the sky is the limit!
And at least one of Katy's children is getting into finger knitting, with another two thinking about it... so watch this space!
STDAVIDS.WALES has core values that promote changing the way business is done in Wales. We've had enough of large organisations taking profit out of small communities, to benefit shareholders that have no real interest in local communities. We want to create good quality, full time jobs in Wales.
Our core values are:
The majority of our net profits goes directly into making #ABetterWales, and this is at the heart of everything we do.
While it is free to list on the site, we make no secret of the fact that we take a commission on sales. However it's what we do with this commission that matters. Of our net profit, 51% goes to the STDAVIDS.WALES Foundation, a charity who's mission it is to create #ABetterWales by providing financial support to ideas that reduce poverty and unemployment in Wales. A business may need funding to create jobs for currently unemployed people, or someone may have an awesome concept for a business that would reduce homelessness in Wales, they just need some support to get it off the ground, and it's here that the Foundation can help.
There are 3 main ways in which you can support us :-
1. Have a browse and buy! (Click here)
By buying through STDAVIDS.WALES you're in the unique position of supporting local business while contributing to #ABetterWales.
2. Support our crowdfunder! (Click here)
Your money will specifically help us to:
3. Become a Community Partner! (Click here)
We are always on the lookout for new community partners who would like to sell through the site. To find out more email rob.marsh@stdavids.wales.
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