Cywain Competition Winner Hopes to Bring Caerphilly Cheese ‘Home’

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Food & Drink , 16th December 2022

A young farmer’s plans to revive Caerphilly cheese-making in its traditional location have been boosted by winning a package of tailored business support from Menter a Busnes.

Huw Rowlands of Cwmni Caws Caerfilli (Caerphilly Cheese Company) wowed the judges with his innovative idea and business acumen. He will receive £1,000 from Menter a Busnes and a package of support from Cywain to develop the cheese-making business.

(left to right) Sara Jenkins from Llaeth Teulu Jenkins Milk; Huw Rowlands of Cwmni Caws Caerffili; Welsh TV Personality and founder of Brybeque Sauce, Huw Bryant; and Nia Griffith from Menter a Busnes.

Huw said,

“I’m over the moon, and I am hugely thankful to Menter a Busnes for the scholarship opportunity, and I look forward to developing the business further with support from Cywain.”

With his business partner, Deian Thomas, Huw plans to re-ignite a local cheese-making tradition and provide dairy farmers with an opportunity to add value to their milk. A member of Gelligaer YFC, 25 year-old Huw has a food sector background and comes from a farming family with experience in cheese-making.

A hard, crumbly, white cheese, Caerphilly was originally developed for miners in the area as it matured quicker than cheddar. Among Cwmni Caws Caerfilli’s aims will be to promote the cheese’s heritage and the Welsh language.

Currently, there are no other businesses making the world-famous cheese within the Caerphilly County Borough area.

Huw said,

“Bringing Caerphilly Cheese production back to the area is essential to the history of the product and also the tourism in the area. We see thousands of visitors a year coming to Caerphilly but there isn’t a business located within the county creating something that the locality is known for. It’s been a lot of work and late nights to get to this point, but we are proud to say Caerphilly cheese is coming home.”

Menter a Busnes Director, Manon Llwyd Rowlands said,

“We are delighted to be working in partnership with Wales YFC once again on this valuable competition. The competition has evolved naturally over the last couple of years and it is great to see it form a scholarship that will allow a worthy entrant who has a true passion, drive and viable idea to pursue a career within the Food and Drink Industry.

“I truly look forward to hearing about Cwmi Caws Caerfilli’s development whilst receiving valuable mentoring and business support through the Cywain project whilst they formalise and set up the business.”

The first-rounds of judging took place at YFC County Federation level, with the finalists put through their business paces by a judging panel at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair.

The judging panel included Huw Bryant – Welsh TV Personality and founder of Brybeque Sauce – and Sara Jenkins from Llaeth Teulu Jenkins Milk, who said they were very impressed with Huw’s “dedication and passion” for his cheese.

The competition was open to YFC club members between the ages of 16 and 28, and the entrants were tasked with creating a business plan for a new – or existing – start-up business within the food and drink industry. Members could compete as individuals or, if they intend working in a partnership, as a group.

The plans had to include a product description, its differentiators, marketing strategies and proposals for future growth. The entrants were also required to specify how, if successful, they would allocate the £1,000 prize money in order to develop their concept, product or business as a viable future enterprise.

Hefin Evans, Wales YFC Chair,

“It’s a great pleasure that Wales YFC and Menter a Busnes are working together again to help members in their or start up or development in their small business. The mentorship that Cywain provide will deliver a great asset to the members with their businesses going forward in the future.”

Designed and developed by Menter a Busnes, the Cywain project works with food and drink producers across Wales, helping them grow and build their businesses with support in a range of areas, including marketing, brand development and finance and facilitated by a network of development managers throughout Wales.

Cwmni Caws Caerfilli can now realise their business plan and develop their business knowledge through support from Cywain including time with specialist mentors, gaining access to webinars, workshops and Study Tours – the first of which being with Cywain at the 2023 Spring Fair.

Mae cynlluniau ffermwr ifanc i adfywio gwneud caws Caerffili yn ei leoliad traddodiadol wedi cael hwb trwy ennill pecyn o gymorth busnes wedi'i deilwra gan Menter a Busnes.

Fe wnaeth Huw Rowlands o Gwmni Caws Caerffili syfrdanu'r beirniaid gyda'i syniad arloesol a'i graffter busnes. Bydd yn derbyn £1,000 gan Menter a Busnes a phecyn o gymorth gan Cywain i ddatblygu'r busnes gwneud caws.

Dywedodd Huw,

“Rydw i wrth fy modd, ac rwy'n ddiolchgar iawn i Menter a Busnes am y cyfle ysgoloriaeth, ac edrychaf ymlaen at ddatblygu'r busnes ymhellach gyda chefnogaeth Cywain.”

Gyda'i bartner busnes, Deian Thomas, mae Huw yn bwriadu ail-danio traddodiad lleol o wneud caws a rhoi cyfle i ffermwyr llaeth ychwanegu gwerth at eu llaeth. Yn aelod o CFfI Gelligaer, mae gan Huw, sy'n 25 oed, gefndir yn y sector bwyd ac mae'n dod o deulu ffermio sydd â phrofiad mewn gwneud caws.

Datblygwyd Caerffili, caws caled, briwsionllyd, gwyn yn wreiddiol ar gyfer glowyr yr ardal wrth iddo aeddfedu'n gyflymach na cheddar. Ymysg amcanion Cwmni Caws Caerfilli fydd hyrwyddo treftadaeth y caws a'r iaith Gymraeg.

Ar hyn o bryd, nid oes unrhyw fusnesau eraill sy'n gwneud y caws byd-enwog yn ardal Bwrdeistref Sirol Caerffili.

Meddai Huw,

“Mae dod â chynhyrchu Caws Caerffili yn ôl i'r ardal yn hanfodol i hanes y cynnyrch a hefyd twristiaeth yr ardal. Rydym yn gweld miloedd o ymwelwyr bob blwyddyn yn dod i Gaerffili ond nid oes busnes wedi'i leoli yn y sir sy'n creu rhywbeth y mae'r ardal yn adnabyddus amdano. Mae wedi bod yn llawer o waith a nosweithiau hwyr i gyrraedd y pwynt hwn, ond rydym yn falch o ddweud bod caws Caerffili yn dod gartref.”

Dywedodd Cyfarwyddwr Menter a Busnes, Manon Llwyd Rowlands,

“Rydym yn falch iawn o fod yn gweithio mewn partneriaeth gyda CFfI Cymru unwaith eto ar y gystadleuaeth werthfawr hon. Mae'r gystadleuaeth wedi datblygu'n naturiol dros y ddwy flynedd ddiwethaf ac mae'n wych ei gweld yn ffurfio ysgoloriaeth a fydd yn caniatáu i ymgeisydd teilwng sydd â gwir angerdd, egni a syniad hyfyw ddilyn gyrfa yn y Diwydiant Bwyd a Diod.

“Rwy'n edrych ymlaen yn fawr at glywed am ddatblygiad Cwmni Caws Caerfilli wrth dderbyn mentora a chymorth busnes gwerthfawr trwy brosiect Cywain wrth iddynt ffurfioli a sefydlu'r busnes.”

Cynhaliwyd y rownd gyntaf o feirniadu ar lefel Ffederasiwn Sirol CFfI, gyda'r rhai a gyrhaeddodd y rownd derfynol yn cael eu cyflwyno gan banel beirniadu yn Ffair Aeaf Frenhinol Cymru.

Roedd y panel beirniadu yn cynnwys Huw Bryant - Personoliaeth Teledu Cymru a sylfaenydd Brybeque Sauce - a Sara Jenkins o Llaeth Teulu Jenkins Milk, a ddywedodd eu bod wedi eu plesio'n fawr gydag “ymroddiad ac angerdd” Huw am ei gaws.

Roedd y gystadleuaeth yn agored i aelodau clwb CFfI rhwng 16 a 28 oed, a chafodd yr ymgeiswyr y dasg o greu cynllun busnes ar gyfer busnes newydd — neu sydd eisoes yn bodoli — cychwyn busnes o fewn y diwydiant bwyd a diod. Gallai aelodau gystadlu fel unigolion neu, os ydynt yn bwriadu gweithio mewn partneriaeth, fel grŵp.

Roedd yn rhaid i'r cynlluniau gynnwys disgrifiad cynnyrch, ei wahaniaethwyr, strategaethau marchnata a chynigion ar gyfer twf yn y dyfodol. Roedd yn ofynnol hefyd i'r ymgeiswyr nodi sut y byddent, os yn llwyddiannus, yn dyrannu'r wobr ariannol o £1,000 er mwyn datblygu eu cysyniad, cynnyrch neu fusnes fel menter hyfyw yn y dyfodol.

Hefin Evans, Cadeirydd CFfI Cymru,

“Mae'n bleser mawr bod CFfI Cymru a Menter a Busnes yn cydweithio eto i helpu aelodau yng nghyfnod cychwynnol neu ddatblygol eu busnes bach. Bydd y fentoriaeth y mae Cywain yn ei darparu yn gaffaeliad mawr i'r aelodau gyda'u busnesau wrth symud ymlaen yn y dyfodol.”

Wedi'i ddylunio a'i ddatblygu gan Menter a Busnes, mae prosiect Cywain yn gweithio gyda chynhyrchwyr bwyd a diod ledled Cymru, gan eu helpu i dyfu ac adeiladu eu busnesau gyda chefnogaeth mewn ystod o feysydd, gan gynnwys marchnata, datblygu brand a chyllid ac yn cael ei hwyluso gan rwydwaith o reolwyr datblygu ledled Cymru.

Gall Cwmni Caws Caerfilli nawr wireddu eu cynllun busnes a datblygu eu gwybodaeth fusnes trwy gymorth gan Cywain gan gynnwys amser gyda mentoriaid arbenigol, cael mynediad i weminarau, gweithdai a Theithiau Astudio - y cyntaf ohonynt gyda Cywain yn y Ffair Wanwyn 2023.