Visitors queuing at Melin Llynon for its internationally famous "mônuts" are unaware of the stress behind the scenes. For seven years, Richard Holt, dubbed locally as the Willy Wonka of donuts, has hidden a burden so heavy it ended in chest pains and a trip to hospital.
A homecoming to a historic windmill
Richard, now 33, trained under Michelin-starred restaurateur Marcus Wareing and was head pastry chef at the two-Michelin-starred The Gilbert Scott in London. But hiraeth drew him home to Anglesey. He spotted an article about the Grade II* listed windmill near Llanddeusant, built in 1775, closing and the council seeking a tenant.
Contrary to popular belief, the Holt family did not renovate the windmill. The local council set it up as a tourist attraction, but when that struggled, the miller was made redundant and the sails stopped turning. Richard leased the building and site, including two replica thatched-roof Iron Age huts, and opened a tea room in June 2019. It was fully booked for months ahead.
Then Covid arrived. "Covid put an end to that. But unfortunately, because we hadn't been open a year, we weren't eligible for grants or for furlough, which was a bit of a nightmare. Turns out, actually, it was the best thing that ever happened to us."
From chocolate to viral donuts
Richard is a creative individual, and the unexpected situation forced him to diversify. "Me and my sister and my fiancé were all in the same boat. No money, no nothing. So I bought a chocolate machine and we started selling them on a website, and it went down really well." This became Mr Holt's Chocolate, now a factory at Llangefni producing a range of bars, including the Vengabar celebrating The Vengaboys at Holyhead's Party in Y Parc on Monday, August 31.
Richard still wanted to make pastries, but the small tea room limited turnover. A memory of Krispy Kreme's Cardiff launch sparked the idea for takeaway donuts. "I googled to see if there were any producers nearby at that time and there wasn't, just a vegan place in Bangor, so I thought, 'it's fair game, I'm not stepping on anyone's toes'."
The name came while driving. "I came up with the name of mônuts, pronounced like the Môn in Ynys Môn as I was driving along and almost crashed the car - it makes me giggle how so many companies on Anglesey have Môn in their name so it was kind of a laugh towards that but then I thought it might work. I was worried it was way too cheesy but thought 'if I don't do it, someone else will!'"
Mônuts opened in 2021 to daily queues. The takeaway format kept overheads low. "We realised all we needed were boxes and takeaway cups. That was it. And that's what we've done ever since. No cleaning down, the till never stops. Literally, it never stops. Like, every three minutes as a transaction. We make fresh every day and they sell out."
Richard also looked at the low visitor numbers for windmill entry and had another light bulb moment, launching a safari trail of large fibreglass animals bought from a south Wales firm, included in the entry price. At the chocolate factory he introduced an "escape rooms" scenario where groups can "fix the factory".
Hidden debt and a panic attack
Despite outward success, the business was in serious jeopardy. In 2023 a new accountant found a book-keeping error that was not Richard's mistake, plunging him into serious debt. All his hard work, and that of his family, fiancée and staff, was at risk, but he kept the seriousness hidden. "It was an irreversible error, and I am having to pay a lot of money, so I've been dealing with that, and I've been hiding that very well, because nobody outside knows about it. Everybody still assumes I'm a millionaire, which is fine, I don't mind, but I'm not, it's been hell." He learned the news on Christmas Eve 2023.
The following year, a machinery company delayed the chocolate factory opening by a whole year. "The phone call with them ended with me knowing the factory opening was going to be delayed by a whole year was the final thing. Although I was mentally and emotionally coping with each added layer of stress I clearly wasn't physically."
Richard began suffering chest pains and contacted his GP. "I asked him if there was anything he could recommend that I take to ease it and he told me to go to A&E immediately." It turned out to be a panic attack rather than a heart attack. "I was told to cut down work and find a way to relax. I said a Guinness and a cigar and they said yes! I was like, 'can you please put that in writing, my girlfriend is not going to believe it!"
Kalani's visit changes everything
Help arrived unexpectedly in October 2025 when food and travel vlogger Kalani Ghost Hunter, tagged by mônuts customers, visited the windmill and posted a review. "Luckily we didn't have long to wait, he posted about it half an hour later and it was praise beyond what I could ever have imagined."
Kalani wrote: "You guys said I had to come to mônuts in Anglesey! Oh my gosh, these are the best looking donuts I've ever seen! I don't even want to eat them, they look so pretty. Dare I say, the best donuts I've ever had anywhere, the quality of the ingredients being used, you can definitely tell, is evident, it's all real fresh ingredients, the dough part of the donut, that is second to none. I would genuinely say these are the best donuts I've ever had anywhere in the world."
Usually closed in winter, mônuts stayed open after the viral posts and featured at the Royal Welsh Show on the Welsh Government's Cywain Programme stand. In June, Kalani returned with vlogger Chris Baird Films, making the business viral twice within eight months. "I knew due to the finances we had to have a fantastic summer this year at the windmill, I needed people to come and spend money, because I had some very, very big and urgent bills to pay, otherwise, it was game over. I couldn't believe it when Kalani visited again and brought his vlogger friend Chris Baird Films in June."
The donuts open at 10am to a large queue and are made fresh daily, sold on a first-come, first-served basis. The popular blueberry bombshell sometimes sells out by 10.30am, and all donuts are usually gone by midday. Tripadvisor reviewers suggest checking the flavour board while queuing, as stock changes fast.
Richard says this summer's takings are double last year's every day. "I have about four huge debtors that I owe money to, large sums, five figures each, now I'm managing to pay them off quickly. My shoulders are getting lighter, business is good, and that is thanks to our wonderful customers and to Kalani visiting twice, I've even named a mônut after him, seems the least I can do!"
