Harlech grows through acquisition

Harlech Foodservice takes over Gwynedd-based fruit and vegetable wholesaler Oren Foods, guaranteeing the jobs of its 25 employees

Oren – Welsh for orange – supplies Gwynedd and Anglesey schools and care homes and restaurants, hotels, cafes, nursing homes and B&Bs across North Wales. The business was launched 45 years ago as Ffrwythau DJ Fruit by Dei and Cheryl Jones from their existing greengrocers in Criccieth. It was rebranded as Oren in 2021 and for the past 12 years has been run by their son, Gethin Dwyfor.

Dwyfor said: “It’s always been my plan to build the business and to have a clear succession plan. My dream was for a partnership with a locally based company and that has happened and it was always going to be a condition that our staff could keep their jobs and Harlech have always given that assurance.

“I will stay on and continue to be involved and that’s very exciting for me as well. I’ve run the business for 12 years and this will now be a new challenge for me with a bigger business.”

Harlech Foodservice Managing Director David Cattrall said: “Adding fresh fruit and vegetables to our offer fills a gap for our customers. It’s always been our ambition to be a total range supplier and buying up a well-established and respected local business fills a gap in our range of products.

“By September we will have fully integrated Oren into Harlech’s main site and those Oren staff that are happy to come down the road will be made welcome and it’s our hope that they will all come. It’s a great fit because the Oren operation dovetails neatly with what we do and their ethos as a family-run business chimes perfectly with our approach.

“Gethin and his team will bring the valuable knowledge and experience of their products and their customers they have gained over the years. Gethin’s role will be help us settle in and to make sure we have a smooth transfer of the business and provide our customers with the right range of stock and the right produce. And that will be Welsh whenever possible.”

The addition of the Oren team will take Harlech’s staff numbers to 300 and their fleet of 65 vehicles deliver up to 5,000 product lines across the whole of Wales, Shropshire, the Midlands and the North West.