Latest news with #HalenMôn
Business News Wales
2 days ago
- Business
- Business News Wales
Matsudai Ramen and Halen Môn Launch Kit Collaboration
Matsudai Ramen, Wales' cult ramen joint, and Halen Môn, the Anglesey Sea Salt company, are to launch a new collaborative ramen kit. The new shio (salt) ramen kit has been created by the Matsudai team to showcase Halen Môn's salt products – and particularly its smoked salt and smoked water. The bowl features a light, golden chicken and seafood soup, a new Halen Môn shio tare (secret seasoning sauce), wild garlic oil, hand-pressed noodles and pork loin chashu cured in Halen Môn smoked salt. Since 2021, Matsudai has delivered tens of thousands of ramen kits to every corner of the UK, receiving praise from such culinary heroes as Tim Anderson, Andi Oliver, Big Has, and Melissa Thompson and appearing in articles in the Observer, the Mail, the Independent, BBC Good Food and many more. In early August 2022 they opened Wales' first dedicated ramen shop – a flagship restaurant in Grangetown, Cardiff. Guardian critic Jay Rayner visited the restaurant soon after, calling it 'inventive, geeky and superb'. To launch the new kit collaboration with Halen Môn, Matsudai will be hosting a pop-up lunch and dinner club with Halen Môn's Tide cafe at the saltcote on Anglesey on 10th July. The pop-up will showcase the recipe from the new kit, alongside a richer soup alternative and a vegan version. The ticket price includes a bowl of ramen and a selection of additional small plates and desserts, which also showcase Halen Môn products, will also be available to buy on the day. The Matsudai x Halen Môn ramen kits will be available to pre-order from 27th June for delivery between 18th July and 16th August. Tickets for the pop-up event at Halen Môn are available to book now online. James Chant, founder of Matsudai Ramen said: 'We've been using Halen Môn products in our cooking for years – salt-based shio ramen is a fundamental style in Japanese ramen – so, with Halen Môn's products being so untouchably brilliant, it felt like a perfect fit for us to collaborate. We've made good use of Halen Môn's smoked salt and water, to accentuate the depth of the flavours that we bring from our long-cooked soups and marinated meats and vegetables. We've wanted to do this for ages and I'm really pleased to bring this idea to life. 'As a business that was founded on running pop-ups, we're looking forward to the experience of cooking on the beautiful Anglesey coast. It's an opportunity for North Walian fans of our kits to taste what we do in-person, and to bring something a bit different to the menu at Tide.' Halen Môn has built an international reputation for its iconic hand-harvested, organic-approved Welsh sea salt made from Anglesey sea water and its range of seasonings and condiments that celebrate the best natural ingredients. It launched its artisan smokery business in 2008 with smoked sea salt, and has since developed a range of ingredients, popular with top restaurants and chefs, including a Great Taste award-winning Oak Smoked Water. Jess Lea-Wilson, brand director at Halen Môn, said: 'We're big fans of the Matsudai kits and always looking for new recipes, dishes and cuisines to showcase the versatility of our naturally-produced salts and seasonings. 'Having invested in the visitor experience at Tide over the winter, we're really pleased to make the most of the opportunity this summer to welcome in the community around us here in Anglesey, showcase amazing Welsh culinary talent and bring new events to the island.'
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump's tariffs 'very painful' for Welsh firm
Donald Trump's new 10% tariffs on all imports to the United States could spell the end of one Welsh company's sales there, its boss has said. Anglesey-based Halen Môn has been exporting salt to the US since 2000, its managing director Alison Lea-Wilson said. But the company's products already cost two or three times more there than they do in the UK, she told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast. Halen Môn's salt goes through an importer, a distributor, a wholesaler and a retailer before it reaches the US consumer, and to add another 10% might be "the straw that breaks the camel's back," she added. Trump announced a 10% tariff on all imports from the UK and many other countries from 5 April which he said were necessary to protect American jobs and manufacturing. Companies that bring the foreign goods into the US have to pay the tax to the government, but it could also affect consumers if those costs are passed on in the form of higher prices on the shelves. Ms Lea-Wilson said Halen Môn's distributor told her they were "very upset" and were taking legal advice to see how they could help her business. "It's very painful, on a personal level, because some of our customers are now friends," she said. One of the company's proudest moments came when Halen Môn was used on chocolates which were President Obama's favourite. "He used to give them to all his visitors at the White House," Ms Lea-Wilson said. In 2023, the US became Wales' highest-value export market, accounting for £2.9bn, or 15%, of exports - mainly machinery and transport equipment. Prof Max Munday from Cardiff University's Business School said the tariff structure would bring an increase in costs for Welsh manufacturing through the supply chain. He also expects Welsh businesses that export to the US to see higher costs due to more regulation and administrative requirements. "This announcement will reduce confidence. It will increase uncertainty and I think it will hit business investment decisions," he said. But the US market will continue to be important for Welsh companies, he added. One of Wales' leading entrepreneurs, Alan Peterson, who has run companies across the UK, Europe and north America said indiscriminate global tariff enforcement was a "brainless policy". "I can only hope it is a sledgehammer attention-grabbing move which then settles down to more specific targeting in the months ahead," he said. He argued that US productivity had been poor across numerous industries for a long time, which is why imports had thrived. "If this is not tackled by Trump, then home prices will remain uncompetitive," he said. John Hurst from the Federation of Small Businesses in Wales said the tariffs posed "an immediate challenge" for Welsh small businesses exporting to the US, adding that the potential damage was "significant". "The scale of this emerging challenge necessitates targeted support from the Welsh government, including resource for Business Wales to expand their trade advisory services to provide guidance on navigating these new trade barriers and diversifying markets," he said. Wales cabinet secretary for economy, energy and planning, Rebecca Evans, said tariffs were "a matter for UK government" but added the Welsh government was concerned about the potential impact. "We have been speaking with UK government ministers, unions and the business community about the issue with urgency, and we will ensure the right support is available for Welsh businesses, initially through Business Wales," she said. Analysis - Huw Thomas, BBC Wales business correspondent A worrying period has begun for Welsh businesses as the shockwaves from President Trump's new tariffs will touch far more than those companies who export goods to the United States. And yet there is a sigh of relief from some who feel the UK escaped lightly – compared to our biggest trading partner, the European Union – by receiving a tariff of 10%. It's little comfort to some specific sectors of the Welsh economy. The existing tariff of 25% still applies to metals imported to the USA, such as steel and aluminium. There's also a threat to Welsh firms in the car parts supply chain, which is expected to feel the impact of the new 25% tariff on vehicles. '"Keep calm" is the mantra from the UK government as it considers how to respond to the new American tariff regime. It's a mantra that business leaders appear willing to accept for the time being. While there's a wait-and-see element to the impact of the tariffs, businesses already know that any additional cost or complexity is a barrier to growth. There are also broader concerns about the re-routing of goods which, faced with US tariffs, may enter the UK market and undercut local suppliers. While the tariffs will be paid by businesses to the US, the impact of higher costs will be felt ultimately by consumers on both sides of the Atlantic. Bosses at Newport-based company Tomoe Valve, which makes high performance butterfly valves that are used in a wide variety of projects all over the world, are less concerned. The firm hit £6m in sales in 2024-25, and its biggest order worth £1.2m ($1.6m) came from the US - a huge valve for a battery plant. Financial Director Denise Cole said she does not want tariffs on her products, but understands why President Trump has brought them in. "I've seen UK manufacturing decimated and the same has happened in America so he's looking after his own, which is exactly what it says on the tin with Trump," she said. She said there was a lot of panic over tariffs, but any changes could be "short-lived". "I really don't think it's going to impact us in a negative way," she added. "The specialist products we sell, they don't manufacture in the US anyway, they would struggle to get them elsewhere. "Our own government has done me more damage by increasing employer National Insurance Contributions. "That's added £35,000 to my costs - that's a whole person's wages. I would have taken on a new member of staff this year as we have some big orders but I won't be able to now." The Treasury has previously said it was delivering the stability businesses need to invest and grow. World leaders criticise Trump tariffs as 'major blow' Trump's tariffs on China, EU and more, at a glance How Trump's tariffs might affect you and your money
BBC News
03-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Trump tariffs: Welsh business says new costs are very painful
Donald Trump's new 10% tariffs on all imports to the United States could spell the end of one Welsh company's sales there, its boss has Halen Môn has been exporting salt to the US since 2000, its managing director Alison Lea-Wilson the company's products already cost two or three times more there than they do in the UK, she told BBC Radio Wales Môn's salt goes through an importer, a distributor, a wholesaler and a retailer before it reaches the US consumer, and to add another 10% might be "the straw that breaks the camel's back," she added. Trump announced a 10% tariff on all imports from the UK and many other countries from 5 April which he said were necessary to protect American jobs and that bring the foreign goods into the US have to pay the tax to the government, but it could also affect consumers if those costs are passed on in the form of higher prices on the shelves. In 2023, the US became Wales' highest-value export market, accounting for £2.9bn, or 15%, of exports - mainly machinery and transport Max Munday from Cardiff University's Business School said the tariff structure would bring an increase in costs for Welsh manufacturing through the supply also expects Welsh businesses that export to the US to see higher costs due to more regulation and administrative requirements."This announcement will reduce confidence. It will increase uncertainty and I think it will hit business investment decisions," he the US market will continue to be important for Welsh companies, he Lea-Wilson said Halen Môn's distributor told her they were "very upset" and were taking legal advice to see how they could help her business."It's very painful, on a personal level, because some of our customers are now friends," she of the company's proudest moments came when Halen Môn was used on chocolates which were President Obama's favourite."He used to give them to all his visitors at the White House," Ms Lea-Wilson is still hopeful the company can continue to sell it products in the US, but admitted the tariffs "might well be then end".Ms Lea-Wilson also hopes that with the Welsh and British governments' help, they will be able to find different export said the firm had already shared some of the costs of exporting to the EU since Brexit by absorbing some of the increased costs of freight."We are really doing our best to share in people's pain, but there will come a point when we just can't do it anymore," she added.
