Fruit and veg firm sold off after 40 years

A PERTH wholesale business that has supplied fruit and vegetables for nearly 40 years has been acquired by a Fife firm.

Perth Produce (Wholesale) Ltd has been bought by Raith Fruit and Flowers Ltd of Kirkcaldy.

The takeover date is January 1.

The Perth company was started by Jim and Marion Chalmers, with son Gordon taking over the day-to-day running in 1995.

His brother Iain also worked with the firm for 20 years, before going into the pharmaceutical industry. Iain’s daughters Ashleigh and Niamh also helped at the business.

The founders were active in the business up until their deaths. Mrs Chalmers died in 2017, and her husband passed away this year.

The company operates from North Muirton Industrial Estate. Its customers are hotels, restaurants, shops and care homes in Perthshire and Highland Perthshire.

Gordon said that after more than 25 years running the business, he wanted to make a change.

He said: “I am looking to do something different, whilst still retaining an interest in the trade.

“Originally, I was due to start an accelerated law degree at Dundee University in September 2020, but deferred until September 2021 due to Covid.

“Having no one to follow on from myself, I felt it was the right time to move things on and accept Raith Fruit and Flowers’ offer.

“It is a larger, dynamic business which could definitely add to and improve on our own current services.”

Mr Chalmers will have a part-time consultancy role with the new owners. The sale price is not public.

Raith Fruit and Flowers is also a family business with customers across Fife, Dundee, Edinburgh and central Scotland.

Current owner Andrew Brady is the third generation of the family to run the business.

Mr Brady said: “Perth Produce is an ideal business for us to expand into Perth and the surrounding area.”