A family-run farm and artisan cheese maker has received £100,000 funding to improve energy efficiency.

Caws Teifi, based in Llandysul, was founded in 1982 and has been producing Welsh cheese for more than four decades.

The family-run firm was started by siblings Paula and John, along with John's wife Patrice, who all moved from Holland to purchase the farm in Llandysul.

Today, the farm is run by John and Patrice’s sons, Robert and John-James, who have continued the family traditions by using a 500-year-old Gouda recipe to create their cheese, named after the nearby River Teifi.

The funding from NatWest will enable Caws Teifi to install a large solar array, battery storage, and a vehicle EV charging point to help reduce the farm’s utility costs, enhance energy efficiency, and boost environmental efforts.

In addition to the eco-conscious installations, the owners also plan to use the funding to make improvements to the farm’s visitor areas to support additional revenue streams, including adding a viewing gallery for guests to get a true picture of the cheese-making and butter-making process.

As the longest-established artisan cheesemaker in Wales, Caws Teifi blends commercial cheesemaking methods with more traditional techniques, with much of the equipment used being more than 100 years old.

The approach has seen Caws Teifi win a number of national awards including The Royal Welsh Show and The British and World Cheese Awards.

Rob Savage-Onstwedder, business partner and director at Glynhynod Farm, said: "At Caws Teifi we’re proud of our heritage, as well as understanding the importance of innovation and the need to adapt, this has become a key part of our success and longevity as a business.

"We all have a responsibility to try to improve the way we do things for the good of the planet and for our own local communities.

"NatWest’s commitment to supporting our green initiatives and new business endeavours has been invaluable.

"Working with a local manager who understands the business, our partners and local community as well as the market has been vital in helping us achieve our growth aims."

Looking to the future, the family hopes to continue growing and creating further employment opportunities.

Robert and John-James are taking forward their parent’s vision, with a programme of events dedicated to education on organic farming, artisan food and drink, and business self-sufficiency.

Huw Simpkins, relationship manager at NatWest, added: "This funding builds on a relationship of 18 years with the family at Glynhynod Farm and marks a very exciting time for the farms’ future.

"The team’s commitment to the local community as well as their dedication to consistent, well thought-through innovation and expansion has earned them a well-deserved reputation both locally and nationally, and we’re proud to be able to have a role within their exciting next chapter."