Former Welsh rugby captain Alun Wyn Jones takes on surprising new social media role
Amelia Jones
The former Welsh rugby captain is taking on a major new role away from the rugby pitch, as he steps into the world of interviewing.
Alun Wyn Jones has started a new series on his rum company’s Instagram called Great Welsh Stories, where he interviews local Welsh talent.
Jones played most of his career for the Ospreys and for the Wales national team. He is the world’s most-capped rugby union player, with 158 caps for Wales and 12 for the British & Irish Lions. He retired from rugby in 2023.
He launched his rum brand, Mimosa Rwm, in the same year. The brand features a coffee-infused rum liqueur called Mimosa Rwm Espiritu.
The brand achieved notable commercial success in Wales since its launch, expanding from an online-only startup into high-street supermarket distribution with Tesco
His new interview series is run through the Mimosa Rwm Instagram account, with Jones using the platform to showcase the stories of people and businesses from across Wales.
Great Welsh Stories, sees Jones sit down with a range of Welsh creatives, musicians and business owners to discuss their work and experiences.
The interviews form part of a wider focus on Welsh talent and home-grown businesses, with Jones using his profile to shine a light on the people behind them.
So far, the series has featured interviews with farmer and musician Tom Jenkins, and Neath Port Talbot clothing brand San Portablo.
The latest clip shows San Portablo’s founder Nigel Hunt, who was interviewed alongside his business partner Michael ‘Pancho’ Locke.
From humble beginnings at Hunt’s home in Aberafan a decade ago, the brand has its own store in Aberafan Shopping Centre, and sells to their ever-growing customer base across the world online.
The video is filmed in Port Talbot and shows Hunt talking about how they came up with the first designs for the t-shirts.
He said: “When we were making designs that were aimed at these streets and this community, by putting the words, the buildings from around here. Like tiny, lush, landed, sunk, sound, header all of these sort of designs, people were buying into them. They wanted them to succeed.
In response, Jones said: “Well you champion people don’t you? You champion the feel. You champion what people are about and where they’ve come from.”
The full episode has not been yet been released, and it has not been announced when or where it will be available to watch. You can find out more and watch a clip from the interview on his social media page here.
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