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New award is icing on the cake for Llanrwst bakers
14/09/2010
Rhian Owen, Rhian Williams and staff of Siwgr a Sbeis receiving their Investors in People award plaque from Plaid AM for Aberconwy Gareth Jones.
The icing on the cake for Llanrwst bakers ‘Siwgr a Sbeis’ as they celebrate 21 years of successful trading this year is to also have been granted the prestigious Investors in People Award.
To commemorate their achievement, the business’s co-owners and founders Rhian Owen and Rhian Williams were presented with their award plaque this week by Gareth Jones, Assembly Member for Aberconwy.
“Small businesses like Siwgr a Sbeis are the lifeblood of our rural economy in Llanrwst and the Conwy valley,” said Aberconwy AM Gareth Jones. “Rhian Owen and Rhian Williams have made a huge contribution to that economy in the way they have grown their business to this standard and become a major local employer and it’s a fitting tribute to their hard work that Siwgr a Sbeis has won this award. It’s a significant achievement for any business to meet the high standards of ‘Investors in People’ but especially so for such a small business. It’s an award they and their staff should take great pride in and I’m very pleased for them.”
Rhian Owen and Rhian Williams were school friends and fellow students at a confectionery and catering college in Wrexham before they set up the business in Llanrwst together in 1989. Housed since 2006 in a state of the art purpose-built 5,000 square foot factory employing more than 20 staff in Parc Ty Gwyn, Llanrwst, Siwgr a Sbeis has won numerous awards since and has become the leading manufacturer of true home-grown cakes and confectionery for the retail and wholesale markets throughout Wales and the North West.
Rhian Owen said: “We’ve developed Siwgr a Sbeis as a business which delivers the highest possible standards, both in terms of our products and the staff we employ. This Investors in People award is a tribute to the commitment of our staff as much as it is to the high quality of the training we provide. It's been very much a team effort.”
Co-owner Rhian Williams added: “We’re grateful to Gareth Jones for presenting this award to us. It’s the icing on the cake for all of us as we celebrate our 21 years in business this year. Any business can only be as good as the staff it employs and I hope this award show our own commitment to seeing Siwgr a Sbeis go from strength to strength.”
Siwgr a Sbeis bakery marks 21 year milestone
By Sion Barry, Western Mail 03/03/2010
An award-winning food company started by two school friends is celebrating 21 years in business.
Rhian Williams and Rhian Owen, who employ 20 people at their Siwgr a Sbeis bakery in Llanrwst, Conwy, are marking the significant milestone by launching a series of specially branded new cakes and desserts over the next year.
Ms Owen said:”We never imagined that we would be in this position when we started out 21 years ago. Our mission was to create top quality, home-made cakes and desserts that were baked traditionally and slightly different.
“Tradition and strict quality control remain our watchwords and we often wonder where the 21 years have gone. To think that we have seven children between us and we have still managed to run a business and our homes.
“There is no way that we could have achieved what we have to date without the total support of our families and our fantastic workforce. Having our families behind us from day one gave us the foundation to establish and grow the business.”
The company has seen business grow substantially since moving to the 5,000 sq ft bakery in 2006. It has customers across North and Mid Wales, the Cheshire border and even as far south as Cardiff.
The company’s Siwgr a Sbeis products, which have distinctive sepia tone packaging, are sold in more than 100 outlets across Wales including many convenience stores and farm shops, as well as being supplied to hotels, cafes and restaurants. Future plans are to attract more customers within Wales and along the English border.
Ms Williams said: “We are constantly developing new products because you cannot afford to stand still in a business like this. We use locally sourced ingredients wherever possible and we are passionate about our products, the business and getting the right balance between work and family life.”
Bakery wins accolade after judges show taste
By David R. Jones, Daily Post 26/07/2007
A North Wales bakery is celebrating after winning a prestigious Great Taste gold award from the Guild of Fine Food.
The accolade for Llanrwst-based Siwgr a Sbeis is special as it was the first time the homegrown Welsh company had entered one of its products for a food award. The company must wait until the Speciality and Fine Food Fair in London in September to find out whether its blackcurrant flapjack is the competition’s supreme champion.
Rhian Williams, who started the business in partnership with school friend Rhian Owen 18 years ago, said they were delighted with the gold award and now planned to enter their cakes, desserts and quiches in other competitions. The company, which employs 20 people in a modern bakery, supplies both retail and wholesale customers including convenience stores and local shops, hotels and restaurants across North and mid Wales.
"It’s great to win a gold award at the first attempt," said Mrs Williams. "We focus on traditional baking, mixing the ingredients using our own recipes, some traditional and some new.” The company plans to develop more speciality Welsh products. It already makes Quiche Eryri, the principal ingredient of which is Snowdonia Cheese, and Toffoc Crunch, which uses the Welsh vodka liqueur with a crumb base to create a cheesecake-style dessert.
The Siwgr a Sbeis Bakery in Llanwrst, Wales, has recently relocated its business to larger premises for the third time. Starting life in a shop in Watling Street, Llanrwst, in 1989, Siwgr a Sbeis ('sugar and spice') expanded into further premises in Groesffordd, which was converted to meet the company's specific needs in 1991. The business outgrew these premises in 2006 when work started on the new build bakery.
