The family have been trading in Carmarthen for six generations. Historically, it was the farmers’ wives who came to trade in the market while the men worked the land. Margaret Morris began a stall as a butter merchant in the 1850s, which soon expanded into curing bacon. This tradition was passed down through the family, who traded in markets across Wales.

My grandfather, Albert Rees, took over the business in 1962. Alongside his wife Brenda, Albert expanded the business to trade in six markets across South Wales. When he retired in 1989, my father Chris and his brother Jonathon decided to split the business in two, each operating three shops independently. Chris continued in Carmarthen, Pembroke Dock and Cardigan (now closed), while Jonathon traded in Fishguard, Brecon and Haverfordwest. The two businesses are run entirely separately.

Carmarthen Ham was developed in the 1970s, when Albert received a request from a customer to hang a traditional Welsh ham for longer so it could be eaten raw. The result was a success, and production soon began.

When Chris and Ann took over the business, they pushed the product further. In 2003, Carmarthen Ham won two Great Taste Gold Awards — for Best Air-Dried Product and Best Welsh Speciality Product — and in 2016 it was granted European PGI status.

Carmarthen Ham has featured on numerous television programmes, including Welsh cookery shows, Rick Stein, Ainsley Harriott and The One Show. It was also featured by a finalist on The Great British Menu in 2013. It was during this time that Chris began the family legend that when the Romans invaded Wales, they stole our recipe and took it back to Italy to create Parma Ham.

In March 2023, Chris and Ann’s son, Matthew, returned to the family business. Having spent time away from the trade, he brought new skills and experience back with him, while remaining firmly rooted in the family’s values of quality, provenance and traditional Welsh curing.

In 2026, after more than six generations trading from Carmarthen Market, the business took a major step forward with the move into a new permanent butcher’s shop and deli in Carmarthen. The move allows the family to continue doing what it has always done best — producing exceptional cured meats and serving the local community — in a space that reflects both its heritage and its future.

The setting may have changed, but the craft, the values and the family ownership remain exactly the same.