Y Lolfa

Y Lolfa (Welsh for The Lounge, Welsh pronunciation: [ə ˈlɔlva]) is a Welsh printing and publishing company based in Tal-y-bont, Ceredigion, in Mid-Wales. It publishes a wide variety of books in Welsh and English. It also provides a commercial print service. Y Lolfa was established in 1967 by Robat Gruffudd.[2] It is now an independent, limited company run by the founder's sons, Garmon Gruffudd (managing director)[3] and Lefi Gruffudd (general editor), with Paul Williams as production manager.[4]

Marketing manager Gwenllian Jones shows the company's first book, Hyfryd Iawn

Y Lolfa

Y Lolfa warehouse in Tal-y-bont with mural by local artist, Ruth Jên (2006)
Founded	1967
Founder	Robat Gruffudd
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Headquarters location	Tal-y-bont, Ceredigion, Wales
Distribution	Welsh Books Council (Wales) Gardners Books (UK) Dufour Editions (US)[1]
Publication types	Books
No. of employees	22
Official website	www.ylolfa.com

Using the new small offset printing method, it started producing material both for the activist Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (The Welsh Language Society), with which it was loosely associated, and for its own publications which included Lol, the satirical magazine from which the company's name was derived.

The company gradually expanded the variety of its publications to include popular series for children, contemporary novels,[5] diaries,[6][7] humorous tutors for Welsh learners, a wide range for tourists to Wales and an increasing number of Welsh sports titles[8]. It has adopted a deliberate policy of not adapting books from other languages in order to support Welsh artists and authors.

It was closely involved with the publication of Papur Pawb, one of the first Welsh community papers, in 1974[9].

Y Lolfa published Llyfr y Ganrif (The Book of the Century) in association with the National Library of Wales in 1999. It celebrated 50 years in business in 2017 and now employs twenty-two full-time staff, publishing around 80 titles annually.[10]