TWO young sisters aim to breathe new life into the traditional Gower industry of sea salt production.
Hannah and Helen Lowe formed Halen Gwyr (Gower Sea Salt) in 2014. The idea to start the company came to them a couple of years previously, when they saw the ruins of the old Port Eynon salt factory when walking their dogs.
After reading up on the history, the sisters began experimenting with extracting salt from seawater at home. Their initial successes encouraged them to consider going into business. Hannah Lowe told the Herald of their ‘surprise’ that only four companies in the UK were commercially producing sea salt: “Seeing a gap in the market, we decided to go into production,’ she said. ‘We started with a business plan and looked for suitable equipment and premises. We moved into Delta Lakes in Llanelli last December, and started production in mid-January 2015.”
When asked about their plans for the future, Ms Lowe said: “We would eventually like to build premises in Port Eynon so we could manufacture sea salt where it all began on Gower many centuries ago.”
The sisters received the backing of local Plaid Cymru candidate Vaughan Williams, who said: “It’s refreshing and encouraging to see such a great success story locally. Small businesses are the backbone of the Welsh economy and we believe everything should be done to aid such businesses. I’d like to wish Halen Gwyr all the best and I am excited about their ambitious plans for the future.”
Add Comment