As part of the deal, Harlech said it has guaranteed the jobs of the 25 staff employed by Oren in Penrhyndeudraeth, Gwynedd.
Oren – which is Welsh for orange – was launched 45 years ago as Ffrwythau DJ Fruit by Dei and Cheryl Jones out of their greengrocers in Cricieth.
The firm has been run by their son Gethin Dwyfor for the past 12 years and now supplies Gwynedd and Anglesey schools and care homes, as well as restaurants, hotels, cafes, nursing homes and B&Bs across North Wales.
Commenting on the deal, Harlech 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.
“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.”
Meanwhile, Dwyfor said that seeing Harlech named as one of the best places to work in the UK by the Sunday Times gave him the confidence to complete the deal.
“The company was originally called DJ Fruits but we changed it to Oren and it’s always been my plan to build the business and to have a clear succession plan,” he explained.
“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.”
As part of the deal, Oren’s fleet of 12 delivery vans have been taken over by Harlech, while the fruit and vegetables supplied Oren to Gwynedd and Conwy schools have been integrated into the school deliveries by conducted by Harlech.
Founded in 1972, Harlech now has sales totalling £50 million and employs 300 people following the takeover of Oren.
