Company Owner Visit Encourages Students to Consider Entrepreneurship

Tomos Owen from 'Swig Smoothies' was a special guest at the college’s CaMDA site, where he shared his experiences with the students. CaMDA (Centre for skills in Renewable Engineering and Construction) is based at the Marian campus in the town centre and offers a wide range of courses in the construction and engineering sectors.

Swig Smoothies is a new company based in Caernarfon, which prides itself on providing freshly-made healthy, nutritious smoothies, full of a variety flavours.

During the session, students had the opportunity to find out more about entrepreneurship and starting a business from the ground up, as well as what support is available to small businesses in Wales. They also got to discuss the benefits of a healthy diet, and had the opportunity to try the exciting flavours on offer from Swig Smoothies.

Tomos Owen said: “I've often dreamed of running my own smoothie company here in North Wales. Having worked consecutive summers in America over the last few years, I noticed that smoothie bars and shops were becoming very popular"

"During the summer of 2020 I couldn't go back to work in America because of Covid-19 restrictions. However, it gave me the opportunity to realise my dream of owning a smoothie company. With the help of the 'Llwyddo'n Lleol 2050' scheme, I managed to achieve this, and over that summer I developed a name, brand and product"

"At the end of summer 2020, we carried out a test run, where I made smoothies from my home and delivered them around the Caernarfon area. In 2021, I bought a specialist smoothie van and we have been trading from it ever since, travelling to many amazing locations throughout North Wales. Today, we continue to travel around in our mobile van, providing fresh, tasty and healthy smoothies – alongside other exciting products."

Marius Jones, Programme Manager of Construction and Engineering at Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor, said: “Many students on the Construction and Engineering courses go on to start local businesses after they leave college, so having the opportunity to hear about the experiences of people like Tomos is invaluable. Tomos' story is an inspiration to say the least: starting a business in the middle of a global pandemic is no small feat."

During the session, students had the opportunity to find out more about entrepreneurship and starting a business from the ground up, as well as what support is available to small businesses. They also got to discuss the benefits of a healthy diet, and had the opportunity to try the exiting flavours on offer from Swig Smoothies.

Marius added: “The experiences we offer our students on our courses are extremely wide-ranging. Naturally, a large percentage of the course is 'hands-on' in the workshop, but much of the learning comes from external visits and various other experiences, like highly-informative sessions with individuals like Tomos."

Tomos Owen from 'Swig Smoothies' was a special guest at the college’s CaMDA site, where he shared his experiences with the students. CaMDA (Centre for skills in Renewable Engineering and Construction) is based at the Marian campus in the town centre and offers a wide range of courses in the construction and engineering sectors.

Swig Smoothies is a new company based in Caernarfon, which prides itself on providing freshly-made healthy, nutritious smoothies, full of a variety flavours.

During the session, students had the opportunity to find out more about entrepreneurship and starting a business from the ground up, as well as what support is available to small businesses in Wales. They also got to discuss the benefits of a healthy diet, and had the opportunity to try the exciting flavours on offer from Swig Smoothies.

Tomos Owen said: “I've often dreamed of running my own smoothie company here in North Wales. Having worked consecutive summers in America over the last few years, I noticed that smoothie bars and shops were becoming very popular"

"During the summer of 2020 I couldn't go back to work in America because of Covid-19 restrictions. However, it gave me the opportunity to realise my dream of owning a smoothie company. With the help of the 'Llwyddo'n Lleol 2050' scheme, I managed to achieve this, and over that summer I developed a name, brand and product"

"At the end of summer 2020, we carried out a test run, where I made smoothies from my home and delivered them around the Caernarfon area. In 2021, I bought a specialist smoothie van and we have been trading from it ever since, travelling to many amazing locations throughout North Wales. Today, we continue to travel around in our mobile van, providing fresh, tasty and healthy smoothies – alongside other exciting products."

Marius Jones, Programme Manager of Construction and Engineering at Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor, said: “Many students on the Construction and Engineering courses go on to start local businesses after they leave college, so having the opportunity to hear about the experiences of people like Tomos is invaluable. Tomos' story is an inspiration to say the least: starting a business in the middle of a global pandemic is no small feat."

Marius added: “The experiences we offer our students on our courses are extremely wide-ranging. Naturally, a large percentage of the course is 'hands-on' in the workshop, but much of the learning comes from external visits and various other experiences, like highly-informative sessions with individuals like Tomos."

Tomos Owen from 'Swig Smoothies' was a special guest at the college’s CaMDA site, where he shared his experiences with the students. CaMDA (Centre for skills in Renewable Engineering and Construction) is based at the Marian campus in the town centre and offers a wide range of courses in the construction and engineering sectors.

Swig Smoothies is a new company based in Caernarfon, which prides itself on providing freshly-made healthy, nutritious smoothies, full of a variety flavours.

During the session, students had the opportunity to find out more about entrepreneurship and starting a business from the ground up, as well as what support is available to small businesses in Wales. They also got to discuss the benefits of a healthy diet, and had the opportunity to try the exciting flavours on offer from Swig Smoothies.

Tomos Owen said: “I've often dreamed of running my own smoothie company here in North Wales. Having worked consecutive summers in America over the last few years, I noticed that smoothie bars and shops were becoming very popular"

"During the summer of 2020 I couldn't go back to work in America because of Covid-19 restrictions. However, it gave me the opportunity to realise my dream of owning a smoothie company. With the help of the 'Llwyddo'n Lleol 2050' scheme, I managed to achieve this, and over that summer I developed a name, brand and product"

"At the end of summer 2020, we carried out a test run, where I made smoothies from my home and delivered them around the Caernarfon area. In 2021, I bought a specialist smoothie van and we have been trading from it ever since, travelling to many amazing locations throughout North Wales. Today, we continue to travel around in our mobile van, providing fresh, tasty and healthy smoothies – alongside other exciting products."

Marius Jones, Programme Manager of Construction and Engineering at Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor, said: “Many students on the Construction and Engineering courses go on to start local businesses after they leave college, so having the opportunity to hear about the experiences of people like Tomos is invaluable. Tomos' story is an inspiration to say the least: starting a business in the middle of a global pandemic is no small feat."

Marius added: “The experiences we offer our students on our courses are extremely wide-ranging. Naturally, a large percentage of the course is 'hands-on' in the workshop, but much of the learning comes from external visits and various other experiences, like highly-informative sessions with individuals like Tomos."