Lewis Thomas from Llannon, Llanelli has won a business award in recognition of his outstanding work building Chickwood Poultry, a thriving poultry business he founded at the age of 13.
Chickwood Poultry, based on the Lewis family’s fifth-generation farm, specialises in eggs for family consumption, hatching eggs, pullets, and point-of-lay hens. What began as a modest venture helping his aging grandparents care for 20 laying hens has grown into a serious and sustainable enterprise.
“I originally just sold eggs to family and friends,” Thomas said. “But I realised it could be more than a pocket-money project. I started expanding the flock and researching everything I could about poultry farming online.”
This week he was named Young Business Person of the Year at the Carmarthenshire Business Awards.
“Social media has been essential to my business growth,” says Lewis, whose Facebook page Chickwood Poultry, has grown to over 1,000 followers. Fertile eggs have been posted as far as Anglesey, Edinburgh, and London.
Despite being in full-time education and awaiting his GCSE results, Lewis has clear ambitions for future growth. He is planning to pursue a Level 3 Diploma in Agriculture in September 2025, with the goal of continuing to university at Harper Adams University.