They are the backbone of the Welsh economy and here we feature a list of microbusiness champions (defined as employing less than ten).
Figures from the Welsh Government show that of the 253,800 Welsh firms, 99.3% are small and medium-sized enterprises. And the vast majority of those (99.7%) are microbusinesses.
Some of the firms on our snapshot list, which appears in alphabetical order, are on track to employ far more than ten staff over the next few years, as well as driving significant revenue growth.
Art-K
Ejiroghene Lane launched the first Welsh franchise of Art-K in Barry last year, an art class and workshops provider for both children and adults.
With a background of working with children through her teenage years, and having pivoted her career to Montessori teaching, Ejiro began researching classes she could teach.
Through her research, she discovered Art-K, a franchise model and now leads classes of seven children at a time, allowing her to give each child a tailored approach to learning, building fundamental principles of art and teaching art skills at a foundational level.
As well as classes of 6-16 year olds and GCSE classes, Ejiro also teaches adult classes in the evening.
Dewkes
Swansea-based canine treat firm Dewkes was established during the pandemic by James and Jane Bygate.
The business has a shop in the Mumbles and a dog friendly cafe in Sketty. It also supplies tasty treats to pubs, cafes, hotels, holiday destinations and many other establishments.
With financial backing from Tata Steel subsidiary º£½ÇÊÓƵSE, the business is on a trajectory to move out of the micro-business bracket by seeing its headcount reaching 17 over the next three years. It is also aiming to double its current turnover of £500,000 to £1m next year.
Feral Pig Wines
Feral Pig Wines was established by Dave Cushley, a trained sommelier and former restaurant manager at acclaimed Pembrokeshire country house hotel, Llys Meddyg.
The wine shop, which is located in he grounds of Llys Meddyg, sells a range of locally and sustainably produced wine from Wales, including Narberth-based Velfrey Vineyard and Carmarthenshire-based Hebron Vineyard, as well as an array of wines from smaller-scale producers across the world
. Alongside the shop, Dave runs an online service offering º£½ÇÊÓƵ-wide delivery of wine boxes. And locally, he’s partnering with holiday lets and guest houses in the area to provide deliveries.
Flowerhorn Brewery
Friends of 10 years Andrew Traynor and Arran McHugh set up Flowerhorn Brewery in 2019 with a homebrew kit in their garage following several years working at Tiny Rebel.
Using only fresh and sustainable ingredients, Andrew and Arran produce a range of craft beers with a twist, from the core favourites of 5.5% orange juice
IPA and 5.7% mango lactose IPA to a series of rotational specials. They received their first British Business Bank Start Up Loan in 2020 which helped the pair move from the garage to the current industrial set up at Bridge Street Studios.
Three years on, and with the help of a second Start Up Loan, the pair have added an additional two fermentation tanks – giving them an additional 80% capacity – and are also making plans to open their own bar in Cardiff.
Hive Drinks Co
Hive Drinks Co focuses on creating innovative drinks and spirits made almost entirely from honey. It was founded by James Rowlands, a teacher at a special educational needs school in Cardiff, who has always been interested in honey, brewing and distilling
Having developed a love for the craft, he decided to turn it into a business, becoming a licensed producer and launching Hive Drinks Co. In the short term, James hopes to increase production of the honey blossom spirit beyond the current small-batch scale, as well as to expand the drinks range, and in the longer term he hopes to start his own apiary, meadery and distillery.
Howlin’ Tig’s
Howlin’ Tig’s is the weekend sideline of a food enthusiast and dedicated dad whose new business is named after his daughter.
Entrepreneurial David Davies from Aberdare, who works in the telecom sector, has brought his love of American chicken wings and tenders to the Valleys, with the launch of a new street food van, which has a regular weekend pitch in Llwydcoed, Aberdare.
Howlin’ Tig’s serves up American inspired chicken dishes, that David has been perfecting after travelling extensively around the US and falling for the food of Howlin’ Ray’s, a popular California based Nashville influenced chicken restaurant. In the longer term David hopes to open up a sports bar in Aberdare in order to give Howlin’ Tig’s a more permanent home.
Lila Alchemy
Lila Alchemy produces hand crafted sustainably sourced aromatherapy products for both body and home, made from 100% natural ingredients and essential oils, including English grown lavender oil, eucalyptus extract and coconut wax.
It was founded by Summer Birkbeck in 2022, who started making the products at her home in Pontypool after receiving a Start Up Loan from the British Business Bank.
Her product line now includes body oils, pillow sprays, room mists, candles, anti-stress sprays for dogs and her best-seller, poo drops, which are intended to be dropped into the toilet bowl post-flush to neutralise odours.
Living Mountain
The Living Mountain is a new outdoor shop in Abergavenny that stocks outdoor lifestyle products for a diverse range of pursuits from mountaineering, trail running and camping, to tree planting and gardening.
The shop’s founder, Jonah Silver, left his job in architecture in October 2022, after deciding that he wanted to pursue his passion for the outdoors instead of working a nine-to-five office job.
The shop’s location in Abergavenny means it attracts an active community of outdoors enthusiasts, and it stocks harder-to-find brands such as Snow Peak, Topo Designs, Klättermusen, Gramicci and Epperson Mountaineering, that Jonah carefully curates through extensive research.
That’s the Spirit
That's The Spirit hosts events in which small groups visit historical buildings in Wales with a reputation for being haunted and are guided through a paranormal investigation by experienced investigators and mediums.
The company was founded by new mum Chloe Davies, while on her maternity leave, who herself held no beliefs in the paranormal until she experienced a ghost sighting in her home.
As a sceptic, she became determined to find answers and joined other ghost hunters in Wales, building up experience as a volunteer paranormal investigator on weekends, while working as a graphic designer during the week.
Chloe quickly discovered that there was a huge number of people that embraced spirituality and the occult and decided she could address the gap in the market for a paranormal events company.
Lunia 3D
3D printing firm, Lunia 3D, was founded by former secondary school friends Ken Pearce and Yousef Ahmed, both from Newport, who reunited after a decade to combine their skills and launch the business in 2020.
Three years later, Ken and Yousef were named as the Welsh ambassadors for the British Business Bank Start Up Loans programme, and they have also attracted a diverse range of commissions; from lifesaving military equipment for the Ministry of Defence; to a full-scale car prototype for self-driving testing, and a large bespoke shopfront display for a high-end jeweller in Mayfair.
Ken and Yousef are focused ion expanding into educational workshops and they’re set to start providing tailored courses on 3D printing.
Moch Coch
Former acupuncturist from Talog in Carmarthenshire, Bethan Morgan, has turned a smallholding hobby into a growing pig farm and charcuterie business.
Moch Coch, which sells an array of artisan dry-cured meats, including salami, chorizo, coppietta and pancetta, produced from a herd of Tamworth pigs.
Ms Morgan, previously ran a multidisciplinary natural health centre in Narberth, where she began recognised the benefits of eating well-sourced local meat. This then bought a smallholding in Talog, with the idea of becoming self-sustaining by rearing and growing their own food.
ink. Gallery
Rob Bebbington came up with the idea for ink. Gallery after feeling inspired by the sense of community in the world of street art.
From this source of passion Rob and his co-founder and fellow artist, Luke Dalton, opened ink. Gallery in Colwyn Bay in 2022 with the intention of showcasing well-known contemporary artists alongside new, up-and-coming and local artists, in keeping with their aim of diversifying the art world.
As well as a gallery space, ink. Gallery plays host to a permanent coffee shop, film screenings, live music performances, an art supply shop and workshops all open to the local Colwyn Bay community.
Clear For Men
Louis Watkins, 23, from Newport, founded his men’s mental health awareness and online skincare brand, Clear For Men, at the age of just 20. Louis set out to create his business after suffering from anxiety during the Covid lockdowns.
He set Clear For Men to encourage men to prioritise their wellbeing and create a platform where men could speak openly about how they feel.
Louis now sells his ‘Take Five’ cleansers from his website and TikTok shop, where he has built up a large following and regularly posts videos discussing mental health.
