A North Wales entrepreneur has turned a kitchen-table idea into a thriving artisan ferments brand, thanks to a £5,000 Start Up Loan from the British Business Bank.
Anna Lloyd, 27, is the founder of Bwblin, a vegan, organic and carbon-neutral fermented food brand based on the coast of Anglesey. Specialising in small-batch sauerkraut made using seasonal British produce, Bwblin is now expanding into other fermented favourites, including kimchi and miso, all handmade with ingredients sourced as local as possible.
After launching the business in September 2024, Anna quickly outgrew her home kitchen. The Start Up Loan allowed her to invest in professional equipment, including a rotary mixer and vegetable preparation machines, and move into a dedicated production space – a former dairy on the edge of Newborough Forest.
“The loan changed everything,” said Anna. “Before, I was chopping cabbage by hand for hours. Now, with the equipment, I can produce at scale, work more efficiently and treat this as a full-time job rather than a side hustle.”
Bwblin – which takes its name from the Welsh word for “bubble”, reflecting the natural fermentation process – celebrates the power of seasonal vegetables and traditional preservation techniques. With a focus on sustainability, Anna aims to work closely with regenerative farms in the Bangor area, building a fully traceable supply chain of organically grown British produce.
“There’s so much amazing veg grown here in North Wales. I want Bwblin to champion that – not just with great flavour, but by showing that sustainable, local food can be exciting,” she added.
Bwblin sells online via its own website, TikTok Shop and Amazon, as well as in person at food markets and festivals. A growing online audience is also helping Anna build a fermenting community, with her popular behind-the-scenes videos showing how products are made and where ingredients are sourced.
“There’s real appetite from delis, independent stores, and restaurants who want organic fermented foods that are locally made,” said Anna. “But it’s also about connecting with people – sharing knowledge, building that sense of curiosity and creativity that fermenting brings.”
After leaving school, Anna travelled the world as a sailing instructor before returning to Wales and working in local government and with sustainable transport charity Sustrans. A self-taught fermenter, she began experimenting at home and created more than 90 recipes before a friend encouraged her to turn it into a business.
Anna was signposted to the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme by the King’s Trust (formerly Prince’s Trust), who also awarded her a £4,000 grant. The £5,000 Start Up Loan was instrumental in turning her fermenting hobby into a fully-fledged business, providing the funding she needed to invest in equipment and scale up production.
Jessica Phillips-Harris, Senior Manager for Wales at the British Business Bank, said:
“Bwblin is a fantastic example of entrepreneurial spirit combined with authentic passion. Anna’s experience demonstrates that with the right funding and support at the right moment, kitchen-table businesses can be developed into scalable enterprises, that have a promising future ahead of them.”
The British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme provides government-backed loans of up to £25,000 per individual, alongside free mentoring and support for new business owners across the UK.
