Regenerating our seas and soils, replenishing our tables, and reviving our communities
Our Story
Our Community Benefit Society (CBS) began in St David’s, West Wales, in 2019 with a simple question: could regenerative farming and responsible local fishing revive our communities, restore the health of our seas and soil, and bring better food to our tables? Today, we’re a cymuned (community) of 500 fishermen, gatherers, sea and land farmers, processors, educators, investors, supporters, and customers working to answer that question. Together, we pool our skills to sustain livelihoods and create lasting benefits for the environment, our communities, and future generations.
Some of our cymuned produce sustainable Welsh seafood and sea-inspired products for a growing number of loyal customers. Others focus on developing seaweed and shellfish-based products to help farmers and gardeners improve their soil and plant health. This isn’t new—generations before us fished locally and spread seaweed on fields to nourish the land. We’re continuing those traditions, with a few modern updates, to leave the Welsh seas and soils healthier and put nutritious local food back on our tables.
Everything we do is rooted in cynefin—our belief that balanced ecosystems and strong communities go hand-in-hand. That’s why we aim to create fulfilling jobs, provide education and training, and support new income opportunities by making sea farming a viable option. We share our knowledge openly, inviting anyone inspired to join us. As a CBS, we are owned by our members, who share our vision and ensure every penny is reinvested into the business and our coastal communities.
This work takes grit—early mornings, freezing sheds, salt-sore hands and endless admin hurdles—but with the hwyl (passion) and the dedication of our cymuned, we believe we can build something lasting for people and planet.
Dewch i ymuno â ni (come and join us)!
How We Plan To Benefit Our Community
Together, we want to demonstrate how regenerative farming and responsible fishing can generate jobs in coastal and rural communities, boost the Welsh economy and enhance sea and soil health for future generations—while putting nutritious, local-sourced food back on our tables.
Our commitment is to build a viable, sustainable community business and share our knowledge openly—helping anyone who wants to get started on their own regenerative journey.
Our long-term plan comes to life in 3 ways:
Regenerative sea and land farming
We are advancing a regenerative model where sea farming improves biodiversity and creates additional income streams for fishermen. Using seaweed products on land, we hope to reduce agrochemical reliance and integrate with sustainable land farming to improve soil health
Food
We focus on growing and sourcing nutritious, Welsh produce from fishermen and gathers as well as our own farm, nurturing a local and traceable supply chain that keeps value in Wales and increases local food sovereignty, putting Welsh food back onto British plates. then please delete the ACTION sentence
Education and jobs
We are dedicated to creating year-round, fulfilling jobs, education and career pathways that are fit for a green future while supporting the systems that make this industry possible, supporting coastal and rural communities, and the next generation.
How it works
We grow seaweed and shellfish on our sea farms, using methods that promote biodiversity without the use of artificial fertilisers, pesticides or freshwater.
We buy Welsh seafood from our deeply-valued community of local fishermen and gatherers— there’s no one who knows these waters better.
With their skills and expertise, we aim to make sea farming a way fishermen and gatherers can increase and safeguard their income for their families and future generations.
We are joined and led by farmers, growers and gardeners to develop and test our seaweed-based biostimulants and fertilisers, aiming to reduce the need for agrochemicals while improving soil health, taste and output. Our initial trials are promising and and we’re continuing to explore other uses for seaweed and shellfish by-products.
We are so privileged to have an increasing network of skilled growers who share our vision for improving our land and crops using the natural resources of the Welsh sea.
Our growing seafood business supplies chefs, shops, and family tables across Wales and beyond. Many of our customers, like Tomos Parry’s London restaurants and Bluestone in Pembrokeshire, are also members of our community, supporting our mission with every purchase.
Thanks to Jonathan Williams’ support, the Pembrokeshire Beach Food Company has joined the Câr-y-Môr family so we now have a full range of sea-inspired products available on our website that champion the amazing food Wales has to offer.
Our Team
As well as our growing cymuned of fisherman, farmers, producers, gatherers, delivery drivers, volunteers, friends and supporters, we have a dedicated team of 20 working members, many of whom hail from Pembrokeshire and come to us straight from school or university. Our multi-generational team is committed to training, skills development and mentoring to ensure we can work together as an effective and skilled team, inspiring others to get involved in sea farming or a community business.
We regularly seek the knowledge and experience of our own community, many of whom have worked on and around the sea all their lives. Much like a rugby team, there are roles and jobs for all skills and backgrounds creating a real community working towards a common goal. There are lots of ways to join us, if you’re interested!
We are lucky to have an incredibly dedicated and skilled Board of Directors who provide strategic guidance, hands-on support, training and development for the staff team.
What Makes Us Different
We are regenerative by nature, committed to leaving things better than we found them.
As a Community Benefit Society (CBS), we are owned by our members—an open and ever-growing cymuned united by a vision to create economic, social and environmental benefits for Wales and beyond.
Every member becomes part of Câr-Y-Môr, with equal say in decisions that shape our future.
Our non-profit model has two key advantages: first, a growing network of 500 dedicated members openly sharing and using their skills and knowledge to benefit society. Second, having access to dedicated social funds. This means every pound is reinvested into our business and local community, with safeguards ensuring shares can’t be traded, the CBS can’t be taken over, and, if all fails, assets stay within the community. This keeps our purpose at the heart of everything we do.
Ultimately, Câr-Y-Môr is about togetherness—now and forever. It’s about building a resilient future for caring communities and ensuring that future generations inherit a healthier planet and stronger local economies.
We appreciate your patience and partnership while we work tirelessly to build a viable business—the more successful we are, the more we can drive local initiatives, create sustainable jobs and enhance biodiversity.