Summary

Cywain Agriculture is a project dedicated to adding value to produce grown or reared on Welsh farms. This is achieved by developing new products and facilitating access to new markets in order to sustain a future for the sector. Cywain Agriculture provides support from dedicated Development Managers, expert advice from key individuals within the food sector and a quality one-to-one mentoring service with the strong emphasis on adding value. The project is seen by beneficiaries to be a very accessible form of support without any ‘formal’ application form. In the early stages of the process the Development Manager’s role is very much a ‘hand holding’ one. When the Development Manager thinks the time is right the Clients is granted access to a wide variety of expert Mentors to guide them in the development of their products and or markets.

Results

The project supported 64 groups, 751 primary producers, supported the development of 511 new markets or new products, created 24.5 jobs and helped sustain another 29.5.

Beneficiary businesses stated that they would not have been able to make the changes and improvements to their businesses without the Cywain support.

Clients have learnt new skills and gained confidence. Support of the Development Managers is crucial and the access to markets through the Test Trading events has proved a major benefit.

The Cywain project works with a large number of food producers across Wales and as such is in an ideal position to help network and introduce complementary businesses.