In 1981 Richard Harrison started his business from the garage of his grandfather’s greengrocery shop.  With a £500 loan from his mother to buy his first lorry, he sought out local potato growers, bought sacks of potatoes from them and sold the potatoes on to small shops, chip shops and other catering outlets in Stoke-on-Trent.

Richard’s grandfather’s shop in Bucknall, Stoke-on-Trent

After a few years of doing this he realised that there ought to be other ways of growing his business.  Looking for more than making just a few pence profit on a sack of potatoes (which was hard work if you sold them by the ton), Richard “borrowed” a small corner of a warehouse belonging to a local wholesale greengrocer and began washing and bagging potatoes for the retail trade.  This worked well and it seemed to be the way the business would develop in the foreseeable future.  But, of course, retail bags of washed potatoes could only contain the very best potatoes out of the sack . . . not a problem . . . but it did mean that there were always surplus potatoes left over that were misshaped or too small to pack but, nevertheless, perfectly edible.  So, Richard saw the possibility of peeling them and then selling them on to local restaurants.  Washed and peeled potatoes soon became very popular with local chefs who were delighted to save on the time and expense of peeling potatoes themselves . . . and . . . chefs being chefs . . . it wasn’t long before they wanted their carrots peeling too.  They soon wanted their cauliflowers floreting . . . their onions slicing . . . their cabbages shredding.  All this extra business meant that the corner of the warehouse Richard was working from wasn’t going to be large enough to cope with demand.  Larger premises and some specialised machinery were going to be required. 

Suitable premises were found when another wholesaler in the area moved to larger premises, putting his warehouse up for sale.  The warehouse was bought, along with machinery for rumbling and peeling vegetables, and Richard set staff on to do the work.  Sales of prepared vegetables took off and the business began to take on a totally different direction.  More and more chefs were buying off R.J. Harrisons and with this increased exposure to the restaurant trade the business found another opportunity to grow.

The chefs we supplied with prepared vegetables were beginning to ask if we could deliver a box of lettuce (or tomatoes or lemons . . . or anything else they were short of) at the same time.  Initially, all that meant was a quick trip to the local wholesaler to collect the goods and another chef was happy!   The “buying” process was to change in time, but the die was cast.  The basis of the business as it stands today was born. 

Taking on a salesman and developing the catering side of the business took priority.  Finding customers who were in desperate need for a good greengrocery wholesaler who would deliver quality food six days a week wasn’t difficult.  There was a gap in the market that wasn’t being properly filled.  Sales began to grow and we continuously found ourselves having to buy in an ever-increasing range of goods just to satisfy the needs of chefs in restaurants and hotels around the city.  Initially, we increased our range of greengrocery, then we added dairy products (milks, creams, cheeses), then cooking oils and parfried and frozen chips were added.  More vehicles were bought and more drivers set on to deliver the goods.

But it didn’t stop there.

In 1999 we learned that a local company which made fruit pies, prepared salads and quiches was about to close its doors.  An interview with their head chef followed and before we knew it, we had a commercial kitchen installed and the cook (Debbie) was cooking and baking for us.  Now we sell hundreds of units a week from a kitchen that was trebled in size after just two years.

In 2002, to keep up with demand, we began to run a night shift of 6 staff . . . so now we have someone engaged in business activities pretty much 24 hours a day.

A much more comprehensive range of cheeses was added to our range, frozen vegetables followed, as did frozen patisseries, fresh bread, frozen bread and dried goods.  Today we have probably the best selection of goods for sale in comparison to any of our competitors . . . and who knows what we’ll be selling next! 

From those humble beginnings (well almost) more than a quarter of a century ago, and far from being a one-man-band, we now employ in excess of 30 members of staff and there are years of industry experience and knowledge harboured within the management structure of the Company. 

We stopped buying all our goods from local wholesalers many years ago.  Today we import most of our stock throughout the year, but we also buy vast quantities from local growers in the summer months.  We do whatever we can to find the best produce we can.

We have a fleet of nine temperature-controlled vehicles that deliver to customers in Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Cheshire and Shropshire, delivering quality goods every day.

Anyone looking at the Company in its early stages wouldn’t recognise it today.  A lot has been achieved.  But we don’t intend to stand still.  We know there’s still a lot more to do!  

Watch this space . . . as they say!