Alun Wyn Jones Meets San Portablo: From Steelworks to Streetwear | Great Welsh Stories Ep. 2

Alun Wyn Jones (0:00)

Hello, and welcome to Mimosa Rwm's Great Welsh Stories with me, Alun Wyn Jones. Mimosa Rwm's story, much like that of the ship Mimosa, is all about the journey. And as we say, every journey needs a spirit.

In 1865, a ship named Mimosa set sail from Liverpool, carrying the dreams of brave Welsh settlers bound for the remote and rugged lands of Patagonia, Argentina. These pioneers, driven by a desire to reserve their culture and language, embarked on a journey that would forever link Wales with the distant shores of Argentina. Mimosa, the ship that carried them across the Atlantic, became a symbol of courage, resilience, and the indomitable Welsh spirit. Fast forward to the present day, and that same spirit of adventure and heritage lives on through our Mimosa Rwm Espiritu, a premium coffee rum liqueur crafted to honour those who dare to explore the unknown. A significant number, 158, reflects the years between the voyage in 1865 and the launch of Mimosa Rwm in 2023 It also, coincidentally, is the number of test caps I finished my international career on. Great Welsh Stories is my opportunity to meet other interesting Welsh people, and other people with great stories to tell, who have forged their own path, and to share their stories and toast their journey with a glass of Mimosa. In Episode 2, I met with the boys from San Portablo on the roof of Aberavon Shopping Centre.

Gents, thank you very much for taking the time out to bring me to the top of the world, in Port Talbot. Obviously, San Portablo is 10 years old in Iqbal, isn't it?

Nigel Hunt (1:43)

Yeah, a decade of doing business now, yeah.

Alun Wyn Jones (1:45)

A decade, and it's going to blink with what I expose?

Nigel Hunt (1:48)

Yeah, it's been brilliant. We've really enjoyed the journey and we're hoping for another 10 years.

Alun Wyn Jones (1:52)

And that's the whole thing, so we're doing a bit of a story series with Mimosa, because obviously the brand itself was all about journey. And I've seen a bit on socials how it started and where it's come from. Can you fill us in on how it went?

Nigel Hunt (2:06)

Yeah, so I lost my job in the steelworks over there. I was like third generation steelworker. I lost my job in the 2016 steel crisis and I needed something to do, like real double quick. And I'd been in this game before. And I was either this or become a taxi driver or possibly Pancho's Tacos. And we ended up with the San Portablo.

And I had a real bad bit of luck really losing my job the way I did. And then I got dead a good hand because Wales qualified for the Euros in 2016

So we had done a design that was, like if it was Welsh Design of the Year Award, we would have been contenders. And I took myself out to Bordeaux and Lyon, Paris, selling them and I sat on a website and we provided...

Alun Wyn Jones (2:57)

Just hustling then?

Nigel Hunt (2:58)

Just hustling on the street.

Alun Wyn Jones (2:59)

You're like looking out to the stookers. I need lessening and hustling, that's what I'm learning.

Nigel Hunt (3:03)

Yeah, it's been a 10 year hustle anyway. It's always a hustle. It's something I think I'm hooked on on it. It's like when you score a try, you make a tackle every time you enjoy it, right?

Alun Wyn Jones (3:12)

I never score a try, so I've done a few tackles, but I know you mean...

Nigel Hunt (3:15)

I've always seen you score a few.

So, but you know that, as though that's a continuous pass you get from sport. I suppose we get that from sales. Every time we sell something, there's a little kick from it. We say that.

Alun Wyn Jones (3:24)

Did you ever envisage it being born at all? Or was it just literally out of the backdrop or finishing over there?

Nigel Hunt (3:31)

The thing was, I got sacked, you see, two days before 800 people got made redundant. I mean, so, my back was against the wall and I didn't know what to do and I just invested my last bit of money. And I thought, look, I need to do something, either I was good at and two that I enjoyed. So I enjoyed music, but I wasn't good at it. But I knew this was one of the only things I thought, oh, I've got a chance. And like our community, like all Welsh sort of working class industrial towns, people don't realize that there's a lot of pride there. There's a lot of community spirit, there's some solid people.