Tributes paid to Dorothy Edwards, who helped build Harlech Foodservice

After she passed away aged 102, heartfelt tributes have been paid to the great-grandmother who helped launch the Welsh wholesaler

Dorothy Edwards, affectionately known as “Granny Dot”, played a pivotal role in the creation of Harlech Foodservice after backing her family with a crucial loan more than 50 years ago.

In 1972, Dorothy and her husband Harry loaned £6,000, enabling their daughter Gill and son-in-law Colin Foskett to buy a frozen food shop and wholesale business in Harlech. That bold move laid the foundation for the successful, family-run business Harlech Foodservice, which has enjoyed rapid expansion in recent years.

Paying tribute, her family described Dorothy, who died on March 28, as “one of a kind” who lived a “long and beautiful life” and leaves behind a lasting legacy through both her family and the business.

With her grandchildren Jonathan, Andrew and Laura in director roles at the company and a third generation also working at the firm, her family said Mrs Edwards was a “truly amazing lady”.

Grandson Andrew, the company’s joint chairman, said: “That loan in 1972 was life-changing. It is fair to say without my grandmother, Harlech Foodservice would simply not exist.”

A celebration of Mrs Edwards’s life takes place on Friday, May 1 at 2.30pm at Telford Crematorium, with all donations to be made to the Midlands Air Ambulance.