In the heart of Llanrwst, North Wales, Blas Ar Fwyd, a family run delicatessen and unique wine shop, may have been subjected to the storms of economic crises and natural disasters but has emerged stronger and more innovative that ever. The business was founded over 35 years ago by Deiniol ap Dafydd and his wife Chandra Dafydd, with the family ties still running strong today with son Osian Deiniol, daughter Gwenllian Deiniol and daughter in law Nia Deiniol, all playing prominent roles.
However, in February 2020, the family faced a massive challenge as torrential rain resulted in a devastating overnight flood which destroyed much of the stock and caused extensive structural damage to the 200-year-old building which was home to the deli and wine shop.
Determined to battle on, the family set up a temporary, but much smaller, retail deli and wine store next to their café premises across the road, which thankfully, just escaped the flooding.
With the support of local people and FSB Insurance Service, the clean up began but, just one month later, Covid-19 reached Welsh shores and the government imposed the first of several lockdowns. These lockdowns affected the company’s wholesale pan-Wales hospitality customers and the family had to be agile once again to find new markets, and with 50 staff to support, they had to do it quickly.
The solution was for the business to significantly develop its home delivery service, which not only meant that the staff could continue to be employed, but also the local community, especially the vulnerable and those self-isolating, could be offered a valuable service during these challenging times. The service, coupled with an increased focus on online sales, saw these parts of the business increase by an amazing 1,000% in just two weeks.
Fast forward to 2023 and Blas Ar Fwyd is back in the original building which is now dedicated entirely to wine and spirits, with the delicatessen remaining on the other side of the road. The new, more open plan premises now offers a vast range of fine wines, Welsh spirits and international brands, as well as operating a substantial wholesale fine food & drink distribution outlet, working with over 200 Welsh food and drink producers.
The family-driven nature of the company has played a crucial role during the challenging times. Their ability to pivot quickly allowed them to make swift decisions and to navigate through the complexities of the challenges they have faced.
Following the flood they have physically rebuilt the retail space, a process that took almost 2 and a half years to complete. The family were very focused on ensuring that the whole project incorporated relationships within the local community. Osian Deiniol, explained “The whole supply chain for the rebuild was local, designers, builders, electricians, plumbers, everything. It was very important for us as a company, that has been in the town a long time, to utilise as much of our local supply chain as possible throughout the build.”
Blas Ar Fwyd have been FSB members for over 20 years and are advocates for the support and protection that FSB supplies to small businesses. FSB Insurance Service has played an important role in allowing the business to be able to adapt and continue to serve the community, as well as safeguarding jobs and employee livelihoods throughout the turbulent times.
Anne Butler, Senior Executive from FSB Insurance Service, said “Insurance is so important in situations where like this. Blas Ar Fwyds’ story shows that, whilst it’s obvious that material things need to be covered, putting businesses back together after a major loss takes time so covering loss of profits over the period of interruption is also crucial.”
The future is looking extremely positive for the deli & wine shop, with events like sell-out wine tasting evenings, Welsh food and drink tastings as well as participation in trade shows, Blas Ar Fwyd continues to champion local businesses, increasing their popularity within the local community and further afield.
Osian told us “We’ve not only come back but we’ve come back strong and the way that we have done it is by including the local community. Going forward we are looking to foster stronger ties for Llanrwst and to be part of a stronger, wider relationship with small artisan producers of food and drink in Wales. It is important to us to promote what we believe is strong family values within a business.”
This is certainly a story about family, community, mutual support and most of all, resilience.
For more information about Blas Ar Fwyd please visit their website and follow them on social media on Facebook and X/Twitter