Gwenyn Gruffydd is a honey farm located in Dryslwyn, Carmarthenshire, with operations spanning three counties: Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, and Carmarthenshire. The company is owned by Gruffydd and Angharad Rees and primarily focuses on honey production, but also sells bees and beekeeping equipment. The business employs four full-time staff members with a fifth member joining shortly.
Gruffydd started Gwenyn Gruffydd in 2010 with just two bee hives as a hobby. Over the years, the business has expanded significantly, now managing around 400 hives. In 2019, the company became a limited entity, which marked the beginning of rapid growth and diversification.
Initially, Gwenyn Gruffydd solely produced and sold honey. However, to tap into the gift market, the company introduced a beeswax range, including candles and beeswax food wraps. They also started offering hampers, which proved to be successful.
To meet the increasing demand for Welsh honey, the company acquired another honey farm in Ceredigion, further expanding its production capabilities. Gruffydd Rees shares, "We saw with the seasons we have in Wales, we weren’t producing enough Welsh honey so we needed to keep more bees. So we decided to take over another honey farm in Ceredigion to increase our numbers and gain different markets producing honey in different counties."
The diversification strategy extended to selling beekeeping equipment and bees. This not only increased their product range but also helped build a customer base for purchasing bees.
At Gwenyn Gruffydd, all employees are involved in various aspects of the business. Gruffydd Rees and Andy Stead, the beekeepers, manage the bees, harvest honey, and handle the jarring process. Whilst Angharad and Esyllt work on the farm, dealing with customers, labelling honey, and managing daily shipments.
Andy Stead, who joined as a bee farmer in 2024, initially attended a beekeeping course at Gwenyn Gruffydd two years ago. His positive experience led him to apply for a job when an opportunity arose. Andy explains, "As an apprentice bee farmer here at Gwenyn Gruffydd I do a really wide range of things. I help manage all the bees, the health of the bees, and feed the bees. I manage the honey colonies and the nucleus colonies growing the bee stocks that we have here.
“I came here as part of my bee keeping course and I experienced what it was like to work with the bees here and experience what it might be like to be around the people here, and I really enjoyed it.”
Andy highly recommends apprenticeships as an entry-level pathway into the industry. He believes that producing food and farming are rewarding careers with growth potential. Andy advises, “I’d absolutely recommend an apprenticeship to others. It’s a really good entry level way to get into the industry if you don’t have massive experience, it’s really to get in, dip your toe in to learn lots of different areas of the industry, so that you can work out where you want to go from there.”
Commenting on the food and drink industry in Wales, Gruff said, “The food and drink sector is a significant part of Wales' economy, especially in rural areas where large corporations are less likely to establish operations. The fertile landscape and favourable climate make Wales an ideal location for producing high-quality food, including honey.
“I think producing food, farming a product is so rewarding. There’s scope there for growth as well.”