Sam Rowlands MS for North Wales has praised a North Wales company for its transformational growth since 2019.
Mr Rowlands was commenting after a recent visit to Melin Llynon, a former windmill near Llanddeusant on Anglesey.
He said:
Melin Llynon is the only surviving windmill in Wales and I was delighted to meet Richard Holt and hear all about his plans for the future.
The mill was run as a tourist attraction by the local authority before Richard took it on in 2019 and it was great to see what he is doing to restore it to its former glory.
Richard, who is from Anglesey, worked in London as a patisserie chef before taking on the mill which was originally home to a unique tea-room serving beautifully handcrafted desserts.
However, to survive when Covid hit they switched to making other products and invested in chocolate machinery and retrained their tea-room staff in order to safeguard their jobs. They also started producing gin, teaming up with the Llanfairpwll Distillery.
It really is a very impressive set up and Richard has worked extremely hard at the venture and I wish him every success for the future.
Melin Llynon, which is closed at the moment in preparation of a grand re-opening in April, is fast becoming a popular tourist attraction.
It is also widely acclaimed for its popular gin, which since lockdown Richard and his family have been producing using botanicals found around the mill site.
Their chocolate bars, known as ‘Siocled’ which boasts many flavours and boutique donuts, ‘Monuts’, are also extremely popular.
Sam Rowlands AS yn ymweld â Melin Llynon ar Ynys Môn
Mae’r AS dros Ogledd Cymru, Sam Rowlands, wedi canmol cwmni o’r gogledd am ei dwf trawsnewidiol ers 2019.
Roedd Mr Rowlands yn siarad ar ôl ymweliad diweddar â Melin Llynon, hen felin wynt ger Llanddeusant ar Ynys Môn.
Dywedodd:
Melin Llynon yw’r unig felin wynt sydd wedi goroesi yng Nghymru ac roeddwn wrth fy modd yn cyfarfod â Richard Holt a chlywed am ei gynlluniau ar gyfer y dyfodol.
Arferai’r felin gael ei rhedeg fel atyniad i dwristiaid gan yr awdurdod lleol cyn iddi ddod o dan ofal Richard yn 2019, ac roedd yn wych gweld yr hyn mae’n ei wneud i’w hadfer i’w hen ogoniant.
Roedd Richard, sy’n hanu o Ynys Môn, yn gweithio yn Llundain fel cogydd patisserie cyn ymgymryd â’r felin, a sefydlu ystafell de unigryw yn gweini pwdinau hyfryd wedi’u gwneud â llaw.
Fodd bynnag, er mwyn goroesi pan darodd COVID, bu’n rhaid arallgyfeirio a chreu cynhyrchion eraill, gan fuddsoddi mewn peiriannau gwneud siocled ac ailhyfforddi staff yr ystafell de er mwyn diogelu eu swyddi. Yn ogystal, fe ddechreuon nhw gynhyrchu jin, gan gydweithio â Distyllfa Llanfairpwll.
Mae’n drefn drawiadol iawn ac mae Richard wedi gweithio’n eithriadol o galed ar y fenter. Rwy’n dymuno pob llwyddiant iddo ar gyfer y dyfodol.
Mae Melin Llynon, sydd ar gau ar hyn o bryd i baratoi ar gyfer ailagoriad mawreddog ym mis Ebrill, yn prysur ddod yn atyniad poblogaidd i dwristiaid.
Yn ogystal, cafwyd canmoliaeth gynnes i’w jin poblogaidd, sydd wedi bod yn cael ei gynhyrchu gan Richard a’i deulu ers dechrau’r cyfnod clo, gan ddefnyddio planhigion o safle’r felin.
Mae eu bariau siocled, brand ‘Siocled’, ar gael mewn sawl blas, a’u toesenni crefftus, ‘Monuts’, hefyd yn boblogaidd iawn.
