We are Bragdy Cybi | Bragdy Cybi ydan ni
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We are Dan and Bethan Jones and we are the owners of Bragdy Cybi, a micro-brewery in Holyhead. We moved to Holyhead in 2006 when Dan was relocated by his employer.
Dan losing his job in 2019 was the catalyst for us to become self-employed and establish Bragdy Cybi. Without any background or experience in beer brewing, Dan set to work at learning the craft. We took advantage of various courses offered by Business Wales and Cywain before starting out and we transformed a building in Holyhead’s Williams Street into a small brewery and shop.
We put Dan’s entire redundancy money into buying equipment and renovating the building’s plumping and electricity. We had four 160-litre fermenters full of beer when the first lockdown was imposed. Our plans to attend fairs and markets quickly changed in 2020, but luckily we had the chance to open our shop to customers.
Throughout 2020, despite the pandemic and lockdown, Bragdy Cybi went from strength to strength and received great support. At certain times, we even ran entirely out of beer.
From December 2020, we had to consider expanding in order to supply enough craft beer to fulfil local demand and to sell to the market more broadly. Through a combination of profits, loans, grants and donations through Crowdfunder, we went ahead to buy more brewing equipment and moved the production to a unit on the Holyhead industrial estate.
By now, the new brewing equipment is in place and we are ready to bottle our first batch of beer. In the meantime, we have plans to expand the shop to the High Street where craft beer by other Welsh micro-breweries and local Anglesey gins are sold. We plan to run an occasional tap room at the new site together with brewing experiences with the brewer, tasting sessions and a variety of talks. We hope to be able to put Holyhead’s High Street back on the map for the right reasons!
Dan a Bethan Jones ydan ni a ni yw perchnogion Bragdy Cybi, bragdy micro yng Nghaergybi. Mudo ni i Gaergybi yn 2006 pan gafodd Dan ei adleoli hefo’i waith.
Colli ei swydd yn 2019 oedd catalyst i ni fynd yn hunangyflogedig a sefydlu Bragdy Cybi. Heb fath o gefndir na phrofiad mewn bragu, aeth Dan ati i ddysgu’r grefft. Buom ni’n manteisio ar gyrsiau amrywiol gan Fusnes Cymru a Chywain cyn mynd amdani a thrawsnewid adeilad yn Stryd Williams Caergybi, yn fragdy bach a siop.
Roeddem wedi buddsoddi holl arian ‘redundancy’ Dan i brynu offer ac i ailwampio’r adeilad gyda phlymio a gwaith trydan. Roedd gennym ni bedwar ffyrmentar 160 litr yn llawn cwrw crefft pan ddaeth y cyfnod clo gyntaf. Diflannodd ein cynlluniau i fynychu ffeiriau a marchnadoedd yn 2020 ond drwy lwc, roedd gennym yr hawl i agor drws y siop i gwsmeriaid.
Drwy gydol 2020, er gwaetha’r pandemig a’r cyfnodau clo, roedd Bragdy Cybi yn mynd o nerth i nerth ac yn cael cefnogaeth wych. Ar adegau, roeddem yn rhedeg allan o gwrw’n gyfan gwbl.
Erbyn Rhagfyr 2020, roedd rhaid i ni gysidro ehangu er mwyn cynhyrchu digon o gwrw crefft i gyrraedd gofyn lleol ac er mwyn gwerthu i fasnach. Gan ddefnyddio cyfuniad o broffid, benthyciadau, grantiau a rhoddion drwy Crowdfunder, aethom ati i brynu offer bragdy mwy a symud y cynhyrchu i uned ar stad ddiwydiannol yng Nghaergybi.
Erbyn hyn, mae’r offer bragu newydd yn ei le ac rydym yn barod i botelu’r batsh gyntaf o gwrw oddi yno. Yn y cyfamser, mae gennym gynlluniau i ehangu’r siop ar y stryd fawr i werthu cwrw crefft gan fragdai meicro eraill Cymreig a hefyd gins lleol o Fôn. Rydym yn bwriadu cynnal ystafell dap achlysurol ar y safle newydd ynghyd â phrofiadau bragu gyda’r bragwr, sesiynau blasu a sgyrsiau difyr. Rydym yn gobeithio’n arw gallu helpu i roi stryd fawr Caergybi yn ôl ar y map am y rhesymau iawn!