Euron named Grŵp Llandrillo Menai’s Entrepreneur of the Year

Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor student Euron Jones has won Grŵp Llandrillo Menai’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Euron, from Blaenau Ffestiniog, was presented with a £100 cash prize and a trophy for his business, ‘Ar y Brig Country Wear Ltd’.

Ar y Brig, meaning ‘At the Peak’, is a unique line of high-quality, affordable agricultural clothing with a strong Welsh-language brand identity.

Euron is now being supported by Business Wales, and wore his Ar y Brig merchandise to the Royal Welsh Show, where he hoped to showcase his brand and attract trade from potential customers and stockists.

The 18-year-old, who studies Level 3 Business at the Dolgellau campus, said: “I decided to start my business because I wanted to gain experience and knowledge of how to run a business for the future. I wanted a business where I could learn from mistakes and overcome them in my future business.

“I realised very early on that to run a business I would need to be very interested in the area it would operate in. I decided the agriculture route would be the best for me as it is one of my passions.

“I have seen many small businesses grow in the clothing industry selling similar items to my business, but none of these businesses I believe targeted a Welsh audience, so I wanted to make a Welsh-branded clothing line that operates in North Wales and is dedicated to the Welsh people.”

Euron was chosen as the winner of the Entrepreneur of the Year Award by an independent panel of judges. They were impressed with the way his business tapped into the strong cultural pride within the Welsh agricultural community, offering a high-quality, affordable product that reflected the heritage of his target market.

He was presented with his award by Shoned Owen, Enterprise Officer for Coleg Menai and Coleg Meirion Dwyfor.

Shoned mentored Euron in his business venture, and also provided support when he and his course-mates Cherry Smith, Ellie Brown and Iwan Bauld finished second in the Skills Wales Enterprise competition earlier this year with their idea for an eco-friendly fertiliser.

Shoned said: “I am proud to have supported Euron in his entrepreneurial journey. From delivering a session to assist him and his team at the Skills Wales competition, where they achieved second place, to providing one-on-one mentoring for his business idea 'Ar y Brig' and referring him for further support through Business Wales, I am very excited to see what the future holds for him."

Euron thanked family, friends and college staff for helping him with his venture.

He said: “The business only exists because of the support from friends, family and employers, and of course the support all my tutors have given me at college and the experiences I have had through attending the business course. Without them this would not have been possible.

“I have also had the pleasure of having Shoned as my enterprise officer in the college and am very grateful to all of them for supporting me and my business during my studies. I'm looking forward to returning to college for my second year of the business course.”

Want to be successful in business? Our business and management courses are designed to develop the knowledge, confidence, interpersonal and practical skills sought by employers. To learn more click here.