On business: The importance of a sense of place

A sense of place – sharing the unique characteristics and feel of a certain area – is something that has been fundamental to our business success, and is absolutely key, in my opinion, in the food and tourism world.

It’s easy for all of us to take our environment for granted, especially, as I have, if you have lived and worked somewhere for more than forty years. My lunchtime stroll, cycle to work, and indeed backdrop to daily life can be forgotten as it’s my everyday, but to our customers, it’s a huge reason for buying our products. 

 ‘A Sense of Place’ is one of Anglesey’s key assets that needs to be celebrated, shared and of course, protected, to help generate and keep those all important sustainable jobs.

All three of the businesses we have run; growing and selling fish and shellfish, running an innovative aquarium and making sea salt and allied products, have all been successful because they depend on and celebrate the place we call home.

If you look at our blogs, story, website, recipes, seaweed barrels, tours, wellness products, buildings – they all are designed to celebrate, share and support Ynys Môn. Anglesey is at the heart of everything we do and every decision we make. 

 We live on an amazing island – an Area of Outstanding Beauty and one of the most beautiful places in the UK. The sheer natural wonder of the area is a fantastic foundation for our marketing team to build upon, and I like to think they do an incredible job – thank you to them (understanding the importance of ‘thank you’s will be the subject of a future blog!) 

It has taken a good few years to have the site and buildings that  we are so proud of today. These buildings are central to our sense of place here at Halen Môn, though they didn’t spring up overnight. Our current Saltcote, which houses our shop, offices and production, is 1000 square metres with outstanding views out over the Menai Strait. Just ten years old, it won a European Green Trowel award for its sustainability ethos, using local Welsh wood and designed to last 50 years and then be recycled. The Campaign for Preservation of Rural Wales recognised the same thing that a building can fit its environment – even in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

When we first started producing Welsh sea salt though, we had a shed, a shipping container or two and a portacabin and a field. It was basic accommodation, freezing in winter and boiling in summer, but it did us proud.

In fact, it’s only this year, as we build new facilities, that the temporary buildings are behind us. I felt a bit nostalgic seeing temporary buildings being removed this week.

Our destination has stayed constant  – a long-term sustainable business with year-round jobs, that celebrates Anglesey and  is part of the community- but  our business has had to be flexible. We have had to innovate, be creative, think of different ways to reach the same goal. The sense of place is key and is something we always come back to.

In the last few months I have been sent pictures of crisps made with our sea salt being sold in Bangkok airport, and then someone was pleased to find they could buy Anglesey Sea Salt when stocking a boat in the Caribbean island of Tortola. I like to think that people both treasure Anglesey as a special place and that Halen Môn is a small connection to it. A sense of place is critical and one we should always remember not to take for granted. – David Lea-Wilson, February 2025