Fifty years later and the journey continues with Bob’s son, Robert.


Robert began working at SH Pratt at the weekends and during the school holidays until offi cially joining the fi rm in 1980 where he worked across every part of the business, until taking over the reins from his father.


It was in the late 1990s when the company made its current


move to Laporte Way in Luton, which also became Bob Wells’ fi nal move before retiring in his 80s. “My father had achieved what his father began, a business for the


next generation to carve out,” said Robert. “T is site had great potential, both with its source of local labour, and its potential for development. Over 21 years we have expanded our operation three times to accom- modate the growing demand and now we operate across 130,000 square feet.” T e bananas begin their journey in South and Central America


where partner farms take nine months to grow and harvest the highest quality of fruit before they embark on a four-week journey by sea. Upon arriving at Luton, they are hard, green and decidedly under ripe and so spend the next four to six days in a temperature-controlled ripening room. Here, the technical team monitor the ripening rooms, stacked full of


18.4kg boxes, each holding around 100 bananas, before moving them onto the production line where they are quality checked and bagged before departing for the retail shelves.


ALL THINGS BUSINESS 29


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48