Harlech Foodservice takes over fruit & veg wholesaler Oren Foods

Oren Foods’ MD Gethin Dwyfor (left) with Harlech’s MD David Cattrall.

Harlech Foodservice has taken over Oren Foods, based in Penrhyndeudraeth, Gwynedd.

Harlech has guaranteed the jobs of the 25 employees that worked at Oren Foods and is planning to add fresh fruit and vegetable lines to its range.

Managing director David Cattrall said: “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.

“All the staff at Oren has been offered their job on the same terms and that’s something we were committed to from the start of our discussions.

“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.”

Oren – Welsh for orange – 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 the business has been run by their son, Gethin Dwyfor.

Oren Foods supplies Gwynedd and Anglesey schools and care homes, as well as restaurants, hotels, cafes, nursing homes and B&Bs across North Wales.

According to Gethin Dwyfor, recent news that Harlech had been named by the Sunday Times as one of the best places to work in the UK gave him added confidence to make the switch.

He 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.”

Cattrall added: “Gethin and his team will bring the valuable knowledge and experience of their products and their customers they have gained over the years.

“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’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.”

Oren’s fleet of 12 delivery vans, three electric-powered, have been taken over by Harlech.

The fruit and vegetables, including locally grown potatoes, supplied by Oren to Gwynedd and Conwy schools, have been integrated into school deliveries by Harlech in both counties.