Our History
Since 1942 Huntapac Produce Ltd has progressed through generations to become what it is today, here you can take a look at our journey since we began.
Huntapac Produce started life amid the turbulence of World War II when straw merchant William Hunter bought a farm in Tarleton, Lancashire.
During the 1940s William and his eldest son, Bill, supplied local fruit and veg markets in Lancashire and Yorkshire. By the 1960s, father and son had built an on-site packhouse to meet nationwide demand for their high-quality produce.
Today, Huntapac employs over 500 staff to grow, pack and distribute over 3,000 hectares of root crops for UK supermarkets, which it has consistently supplied since 1974.
Although born into the business, Warren Hunter and brother Jason Hunter took neither success nor influence for granted when they joined the family firm in the mid-1980s. Their father, Bill, made both sons start at the bottom of the company and work their way up.
When fourth-generation Hunters Will and Henry (Warren’s sons) joined Huntapac in 2002, Warren adopted the same approach, putting them to work in all departments – farms, packhouse, maintenance, sales – before appointing them as directors.
Fortunately for Huntapac, the children from each successive generation have actually wanted to work for the family firm to carry on the continuity.
The greatest strength in a family business is this acute sense of shared purpose: a collective will to grow the company for the generations to come.
The shared vision for Huntapac is that it retains its position as a leading UK vegetable supplier, packing top-quality produce using the latest automated systems and state-of-the-art technology.
To that end, the directors recognise that it is important to have key skills in the right areas – family member or not.
The Hunter family remains committed to running a business that still retains the family feel, while growing for future generations.
