Harlech Foodservice has won a contract to supply 11,000 Welsh hospital patients every day, with the three-year deal set to create nine new jobs.
The wholesaler will supply the Welsh NHS 450 lines of dry store products like canned goods, pulses and rice to 120 locations across Wales, including general hospitals and community hospitals.
As well as its traditional customer base in the hospitality sector, Harlech also supplies schools across the six counties of North Wales and into the North West to serve up nutritious meals for 150,000 pupils daily.
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In addition, Harlech is a major supplier to care homes across North and Mid Wales and has seen significant growth in that sector too.
As a result, the company is on course for record sales this year and as part of its growth strategy has invested £500,000 to increase storage capacity, reconfiguring the racking in its giant freezer and buying “bendy” forklift trucks to navigate the narrower aisles.
Health, Care and Education Director Mark Lawton said that winning the new business from NHS Wales was a major vote of confidence in Harlech.
He said: “It provides us with great stability throughout the year which is a big help in rebalancing our traditional core base of customers in hospitality who are by definition largely seasonal.
“It means we are part of the year-round foundational economy, providing essential goods and services and helping keep the Welsh pound in Wales, making it work hard to boost our nation’s prosperity – something that has been made possible by the enlightened procurement policies of NHS Wales.
“It certainly chimes with our ethos because wherever possible we also use Welsh companies for our support services, whether that’s for recycling, gardening or the electricians we use.
“Securing this contract will also help in terms of our logistics and delivery pattern pan-Wales and will help us minimise our carbon footprint. It’s about shortening the supply chain.”
