It's all go here!  Just been on the phone to Tyrell's crisps near Hereford about getting some of their produce for the cider shop.  I've got to send them some samples just in case one day there's any possibility of doing Ty Gwyn Cider flavour Tyrell's crisps!  It's marketing gold...
We're selling some delicious local ice cream made by a great local company Kelsmor Dairy and we're also selling Kingstone Brewery's delicious beer made in Tintern.  So at the moment the story is of local businesses all helping each other which is great.
We made 'The Hotel Inspectors' Alex Polizzi's 'Little Black Book' in the context of a review of the Bell which was excellent news. 
I've been to Aldbourne in Wiltshire on a sales trip and got our cider into the Crown by the duckpond there.  Aldbourne is a picture postcard Wiltshire village that was home to the US 82nd Airborne division in the run up to D-Day.  We also sell our cider in the village Post Office and deli run by a charming lady called Sue.  Aldbourne is well worth a visit.  We're also just about to deliver some cider up to the Medcalf Bar in Exmouth Market, London which is great news.  My brother Ben and his wife Stephanie returned form a trip to Abersoch in North Wales having sold a huge amount to the great local pubs and restaurants there.  More details to follow.  Our website has been refreshed and is open for business at info@tygwyncider.co.uk
See you at the cider bar...

Weather patchy, cider not!

We've taken the covers off some of the cider and are debating whether to take the remaining covers off would be to invite a serious frost.  We'll see.  It's pretty gorgeous today and the shop is looking great.  I've put bottles on shelves, bottles in crates, bottles on tables and press cuttings on walls.  Mum's going to make some blackcurrant coulis which we are thinking of branding Ty Gwyn Blackcurrant Coulis, inventively enough.  We should get some local honey and wool in any minute too.  Ben tasted the cider the other day, as it's been bubbling away for about five months now and said it tasted delicious.  But he sealed it back up before I could get my hands on any of it. 

I'm thinking of riding a section of the Monmouth and Brecon canal on my bike at some stage this weekend, if the weather holds and we are not too busy over the weekend.  Which of course we could well be! 

In other news, we've apparently got a great mention in one of Alex Polizzi's guides which is fantastic.  Always lovely to get a really positive mention from people who's business it is to get nice stuff into their own hotels and restaurants.  I've written her a letter to see if she'd like to take our cider into any of her hotels so we'll see. 

Ben's off to Abersoch this weekend and seeing as the place seems to be chock full of decent pubs and restaurants we've packed him off with lots of samples.  Fingers crossed Abersoch will soon be another flag on the Ty Gwyn campaign map...

see you at the bar...

Alex

Re-launch of our cider shop and other exciting developments

It seems as though we've spent most of our time either down at Pontrilas sawmill or covered in paint as we re-vamp our wonderful cider shop.  We've been busy making signs so our punters don't get too confused as they leave the beaten track for our little cider set up deep in the beautiful Monnow Valley.  For anyone travelling on the Hereford to Abergavenny road, an amazing breakfast doorstep sandwich can be yours for only £3 complete with black pudding, fried eggs, bacon and sausage plus real Heinz ketchup.  Of course my excuse for consuming such a mid morning snack is that I ran the Forest of Dean Half Marathon and then undertook a thirty mile round trip cycle ride to the Forest of Dean the very next day.

The long and the short of it is that our cider shop is up and running after a facelift, but looking more inviting and organised without losing any of its rustic charm.  We've built a nice wall, painted it sparkling white and put up some new shelves on which to display our range of cidertastic products: poly barrels, mini kegs, bottled cider, you name it, we're displaying it proudly and selling it!  Honey to follow shortly, maybe even some bric a brac we found in the potting shed.

We're gearing up for another great Summer of cider, why not come and see us for a sample of what we do...

Cheers,

Alex