Eurwyn Harries, Managing Director, Tovali
Tovali, one of the most recognisable drinks brands in Wales, has been named this week as the first drinks ambassador for the ‘Future Skills… food for thought’ campaign.
A short film focusing on the company’s history of innovation and dedication to skills development has been released to coincide with the announcement.
As part of the ‘Future Skills… food for thought’ campaign 25 Welsh food and drink ambassadors will join forces over the coming months to emphasise and outline the importance of skills across the entire food and drink supply chain – from areas as diverse as agriculture and manufacturing to retail and hospitality.
Despite being founded in 1937, Carmarthen’s Tovali is a modern-day success story which has survived war and enormous social and economic change to become Britain’s premier independent squash maker. The company is run today by Eurwyn Harries, son of original founder Denzil Harries, who grew up helping out with the business.
As Eurwyn Harries explains, it is the company’s innovation in the ever evolving food and drink industry that has seen them stay ahead of the competition: “The introduction of plastic bottles, for example, forced us to change our bottling process significantly, while the growth of the supermarkets has completely altered the way people shop meaning that the majority of local shops that were the heart of Tovali’s customer base has disappeared.
“But we have faced these challenges head on and seen them not as an obstacle, but as catalysts for positive innovation and change – we’ve recently invested in an entirely new production line, for example.”
Once there were some 500 independent soft drinks firms in the United Kingdom – a figure that has now fallen to just ten. Tovali is one of the last traditional manufacturers left in a constantly changing industry, proof that with key industry skills, plus foresight, determination and a willingness to adapt, food and drink businesses can survive and thrive.
The ‘Future Skills… food for thought’ campaign is run by the Welsh Food & Drink Skills Project. The campaign aims to ensure that stories like Tovali’s are not one of a kind, and that an increasing number of food and drink companies in Wales can be equipped with the skills needed to replicate their success.
Research conducted by the Project found that significant skills gaps exist across the food and drink supply chain. In response to this research the Sector Skills Councils which represent the industry have come together throughout 2013/2014 to encourage the up-skilling of approximately 75,000 existing workers as well as finding new entrants for the industry by 2020.
Caryl Tudor Jones, Project Co-ordinator, said: “This campaign aims to ensure that success stories like Tovali are not stand alone cases, we want all food and drink businesses in Wales to have the resilience and skills to thrive in the ever-evolving food and drink industry.
“Tovali proves that it can be done. We are signing up more leading employers and brands daily to promote the importance of key skills and industry ‘know how’, and to showcase the fact that with the proper training and experience, all employees can achieve a rewarding lifelong career in this thriving, dynamic industry.”
This urgent call to action is based on the vital role the food and drink industry plays in underpinning the wider Welsh economy. Together, all of the businesses in Wales that make up the sector employ around 230,000 people. This represents 18% of the Welsh workforce, making it the largest collective employer in Wales. Generating around £6.5bn of sales revenue annually, the industry is, in fact, now the largest combined industry of employment in Wales.
The Welsh Food & Drink Skills Project is supported the Sector Priorities Fund Pilot programme with funding from the European Social Fund through the Welsh Government, and delivered in partnership between Lantra, the Land Based Skills Council, Improve – the Food and Drink Skills Council and People 1st Cymru, the Hospitality and Tourism Skills Council.
