During the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, many food and drink businesses have been quick to adapt - stepping up to protect, assist and support their employees and local communities. Myrddin Heritage is an excellent example of a micro food and drink producer that has adapted their business model with swift decision making, collaboration with other producers in the locality and sheer determination.

The Myrddin Heritage & Friends Breakfast Box is proving popular, with more than 100 boxes ordered each week, and owners Owen and Tanya are extremely busy keeping up with demand. Myrddin Heritage is home to free-range pigs, reared on Owen and Tanya’s smallholding in Rhos, near Llandysul, where quality is assured at their hands-on production unit in Carmarthenshire. The couple first came to Food Centre Wales in 2018 to attend a start-up surgery, and subsequently returned for technical support for their business.

Although they lost 95% of their business almost overnight at the start of the pandemic, nearly stopping the business in its tracks, they have managed to pull through with the introduction of their tailored Breakfast Boxes and delivery service.

The Myrddin Heritage & Friends Breakfast Box is full of delicious Welsh produce - free range bacon, classic pork sausages and chipolatas, as well as a range of flavoured sausages and burgers and not forgetting their famous Pwdin Du.

Knowing they were not alone, they reached out to other local producers and together they provide a fantastic product and service – and hopefully they will get through these difficult times together.

‘We currently work with 9 suppliers to provide our customers with free range, organic, local products. A number of our products are made to order. The loaves are collected from Crwst on the morning of delivery, the Teifi coffee is roasted to order in small batches and our dry cured back bacon is freshly sliced for each customer.’ – Tanya.

Customers can build their own breakfast box or choose from one of their ready-made boxes. Alongside Myrddin Heritage’s premium pork products, customers can choose from:

• Crwst's Fresh Loaves and Chocolate Spread
• Fforest Isaf Free Range Eggs
• Welsh Farmhouse Organic Apple Juice
• Calon Wen Organic butter and Extra Mature Cheese
• Wrights Tomato Catsup
• Mel Gwenyn Gruffydd Honey
• Teifi Coffee's Dragon Coffee
• Tea Traders Welsh Breakfast Tea
• Anuna Craft Bakery Croissants

Tanya explained that they will be concentrating their efforts on their breakfast boxes:

‘They have completely flipped the business upside down, as we have received a fantastic response and are truly grateful for the support. We will definitely keep the breakfast boxes going forward - the boxes are here to stay’.

The couple are very committed and have great pride in their role of feeding the community their ‘most important meal of the day’.

It’s inspiring to see this business succeed, who have remained true to their business ethos of locally sourced quality produce. They have kept their products and services going, which not only benefits themselves as an independent business, but also their neighbouring micro food and drink producers. 

Order your Myrddin Heritage & Friends Breakfast Box here: myrddinheritage.wales