A LAMPETER dairy farm has come up with an innovative way of getting its milk to the public.

Gwarffynnon is a dairy farm, one mile north of Lampeter which has been producing milk for over 30 years.

The farm has achieved numerous highly acknowledged awards, including the British Dairy Farmer of the Year, Clean and Tidy Farm and most recently, the Holstein UK Master Breeder award 2020.

Siblings, Elliw and Aron Dafydd, have decided to diversify in order to add value to the milk that they produce by installing a milk vending machine in Lampeter to sell their produce locally.

Aron graduated from Aberystwyth University last year with a BSc in Agriculture, and is keen to develop the existing family farm.

They feel that now is the right time to sell their milk locally through a vending machine, as there is an increased demand from consumers to buy local foods.

This is the first vending machine in Ceredigion selling local pasteurised milk.

Their milk vending machine is located in Bar Llaeth Milk Bar which is situated on Market Street in Lampeter.

Reusable branded glass bottles are used, and subsequent refilled, eradicating the reliance on plastic containers which is in harmony with the ethos of plastic free Lampeter.

Sustainability is an important aspect for the farm, and potential customers appreciate the environmental and cow health benefits of sustainable farming.

They are members of the free-range dairy group. This certification is awarded to traditional family run farms, where cattle graze six months a year, are all-year round calving to secure a constant high-quality product, and achieve high standard of welfare and milk quality.

Their green energy production is crucial to support their sustainability policy.

On the farm, there is a wind turbine and solar panels, both of which supply green energy to power the farm all year round. They pride themselves on producing high quality milk on a grass-based system using renewable energy.

Recently, the have added milkshakes to Bar Llaeth Milk Bar which has proved immensely popular.