Halen Môn

Halen Môn, also known as The Anglesey Sea Salt Company, is a Welsh food manufacturer producing award-winning sea salt from seawater drawn from the Menai Strait on the Isle of Anglesey. Combining traditional hand harvesting with modern processing technology, the company has developed a distinctive range of Welsh sea salt products that are now enjoyed in kitchens around the world.

About Company

Halen Môn began making sea salt in 1997 after founders Alison and David Lea-Wilson looked for a way to create a business that would allow them to continue living and working on Anglesey. Their earlier ventures included oyster farming, a wholesale fish and game business and the Sea Zoo aquarium.

The idea for sea salt came from their knowledge of the waters surrounding Anglesey. In 1997, the couple experimented by boiling seawater in a saucepan at home, allowing the first salt crystals to form. The initial product was then supplied locally, including to Swains in Menai Bridge.

What began as a small family business has grown into an internationally recognised Welsh food manufacturer. Halen Môn says its sea salt is now enjoyed around the world and has been used at major events and by well-known food businesses and restaurants. The company has also developed an international export operation, supplying markets outside the UK.

The company operates from its Saltcote at Brynsiencyn on Anglesey, overlooking the Menai Strait. The site incorporates its salt production operation as well as Tŷ Halen, where visitors can learn more about the company’s manufacturing process and the story behind its sea salt.

One of the most significant achievements in Halen Môn’s history is the protected status awarded to its signature product. Anglesey Sea Salt / Halen Môn is registered as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), recognising the connection between the product, its geographical origin and the production methods used to make it.

Products & Services

Halen Môn’s best-known product is its Pure Sea Salt, sometimes referred to as its flake sea salt. The company also produces a growing range of flavoured sea salts, seasonings, gift products and other food and lifestyle products.

Its sea salt range includes Pure Sea Salt, smoked sea salt and flavoured varieties incorporating ingredients such as roasted garlic, chilli, garlic and celery seeds. The company also produces seasoning blends and a variety of gift sets aimed at home cooks and food lovers.

The company’s Pure Sea Salt remains at the centre of the business. Halen Môn describes it as a hand-harvested sea salt produced from seawater taken directly from the Menai Strait.

Alongside its core salt products, Halen Môn has expanded into a broader range of products and experiences. Its current range includes pantry products, sauces, sweet and savoury products, seaweed products, natural skincare, home and lifestyle products, gift sets and ceramics.

The company also offers wholesale supply for businesses and provides opportunities for visitors to tour the Saltcote and learn about how its sea salt is produced.

Manufacturing Process

The production of Halen Môn sea salt begins with seawater from the Menai Strait.

The company draws seawater through a pipeline into its Saltcote. Before reaching the production facility, the seawater naturally passes through a mussel bed and a sandbank, providing natural filtration. Halen Môn then uses charcoal filtration as part of its preparation process.

Once inside the Saltcote, the seawater is gently heated under vacuum. This reduces the boiling temperature and allows the water to evaporate efficiently, gradually concentrating the seawater into a highly concentrated brine.

The concentrated brine is then transferred into shallow crystallisation tanks, where the salt crystals form.

One of the most distinctive parts of the process is the harvesting stage. Halen Môn’s salt harvesters collect the crystals by hand, rinse them and prepare the finished flakes for packing. The company combines this traditional hands-on approach with modern technology to produce a consistent commercial product.

This combination of natural seawater, controlled evaporation, crystallisation and hand harvesting gives the manufacturing process its distinctive character.

Manufacturing Capabilities

Halen Môn’s manufacturing operation is unusual compared with conventional food production because its principal raw material is seawater rather than a manufactured ingredient.

The company manages the process from the extraction and filtration of seawater through to brine production, crystallisation, harvesting, rinsing, drying and packing.

Its Saltcote provides a dedicated production environment for manufacturing its sea salt, while the company also has facilities for packing and preparing products for customers and wholesale markets.

The production process has been developed to combine traditional salt-making techniques with modern technology. Vacuum evaporation allows the seawater to be concentrated efficiently, while shallow crystallisation tanks provide the environment in which the characteristic salt flakes form.

The hand-harvesting element remains an important part of the company’s identity. Skilled harvesters collect the salt crystals and prepare them before packaging, retaining a visible connection between the finished product and the manufacturing process.

Halen Môn also produces flavoured salts by combining its hand-harvested sea salt with ingredients such as spices, garlic, celery seed and smoke from oak.

Protected Designation of Origin

Halen Môn’s PDO status is one of the strongest features of the company’s manufacturing story.

Anglesey Sea Salt / Halen Môn is officially registered as a Protected Designation of Origin in the United Kingdom. The registered product is classified under salt and was registered under the UK scheme on 31 December 2020, following its original European registration in 2014.

PDO protection recognises products whose qualities and characteristics are closely connected to their geographical origin and whose production takes place within the defined geographical area using the specified production requirements.

For Halen Môn, this provides formal recognition of the relationship between the salt, Anglesey and the production methods used by the company.

It also helps distinguish genuine Anglesey Sea Salt / Halen Môn from products that might otherwise use similar descriptions without having the same geographical and production connection.

Industries & Markets Served

Halen Môn operates primarily within the food and beverage sector, supplying sea salt to consumers, chefs, retailers, food businesses and hospitality customers.

Its products are used across home cooking and professional kitchens, where sea salt can be used for seasoning, finishing, baking, cooking and food preparation.

The company has also supplied its salt to food manufacturers and established food brands. Its own history highlights applications ranging from chocolate and crisps to use in professional kitchens and major events.

Halen Môn has developed an international customer base and exports its products beyond the UK. Government trade information has highlighted the company’s export development and international markets.

This gives the company an interesting position within the food manufacturing sector: a relatively specialised Welsh producer supplying a geographically distinctive product to both domestic and international markets.

Sustainability & Local Production

The location of Halen Môn’s manufacturing operation is fundamental to its product.

Rather than transporting raw salt or importing a finished ingredient, the company draws seawater directly from the Menai Strait and processes it at its Anglesey Saltcote.

The business has also incorporated sustainability considerations into its site operations. A previous government case study of the Saltcote and visitor centre highlighted the use of building-management technology to monitor electricity, gas and water consumption, helping reduce electricity usage at the site.

The company’s connection with Anglesey also extends beyond manufacturing. The Saltcote incorporates a visitor centre and shop, giving visitors the opportunity to see where the salt is produced and learn about the process.

Heritage & Welsh Identity

Halen Môn is particularly interesting from a manufacturing perspective because its brand identity is inseparable from its location.

The Welsh name Halen Môn translates as Anglesey Salt, and the company itself explains that Halen Môn and Anglesey Sea Salt refer to the same business and product rather than being separate companies.

The company’s story is closely linked to Anglesey’s coastline, the Menai Strait and the wider food culture of Wales.

Its PDO status further strengthens that connection, while the use of Welsh naming and local production gives the company a distinctive identity in an increasingly global food market.

The result is a manufacturer where place is not simply part of the company’s marketing — it is fundamental to the product itself.

Visitor Experience

Halen Môn has developed its Saltcote into more than simply a production facility.

Visitors can visit Tŷ Halen, explore the on-site shop and take tours that explain how the sea salt is produced. The site also offers opportunities to learn about the history of salt production, taste the product and see the manufacturing operation.

This creates an interesting connection between manufacturing and consumer education. Customers can see the location from which their salt originates and gain an understanding of the processes involved before the finished product reaches the kitchen.

For a food manufacturer, this kind of transparency can be particularly valuable because it allows the story behind the product to become part of the customer experience.