A CENTURY-old traditional bakery on Pen Llyn has brought a welcome economic boost to the area by employing 14 members of staff.

With no experience whatsoever as bakers, Geraint and Gillian Jones bought the traditional thatched Becws Islyn at Aberdaron three years ago as a potential business that could be handed down to the next generation.

Geraint said: “The original bakery business, a zinc-shelled building when we bought it, had been in Aberdaron for nearly 100 years.”

“Other than baking cakes at home, we had no experience of bread making whatsoever.

“But we saw the potential when the ‘for sale’ sign was erected, and thought it might be a business that we could, possibly, one day, pass on to the children.”

The family already runs a successful farm with support from son Gwion, 18, and a tourism venture at Anelog, near Aberdaron.

Now, both of them work full-time at Becws Islyn, with support from a team of 12 staff members – one full-time and 11 part-time – during the peak summer season, including 16-year-old daughter, Fflur, during her free time.

There have been huge changes to the business, with Geraint and Gillian investing heavily in a brand new thatched roof building a year after buying the business.

Gillian said: “The tin building wasn’t fit for purpose, so we emp­loyed architect Alwyn Griffith and designer Robert David to create a state-of-the-art bakery, shop and coffee house area but keeping the traditional feel of the business which had been at Aberdaron for such a long time.

“We had a good few months working from a shepherd’s hut as a temporary shop in the village and a specially converted unit as the bake house. So you can imagine our joy when we actually moved into the Becws Islyn building in July 2014.”

The transformation of the building gave the couple the opportunity to look at creating a new logo, brand and signage for the business at the same time.