The official hand-over of the 20-acres of glass took place on January 9 and already one quarter of the area – used exclusively for round tomatoes by the previous owners – has been switched into speciality lines.

Three truss varieties and Santa baby plums will complement the output of classic round toms at a site that will provide UK retailers with upwards of 500,000 boxes of home-grown fruit annually.

Part of the deal struck with HumberVHB was that the management and employees in south Wales would remain.

Stubbins md Mario Difrancesco told the Journal: 'We are looking forward to working with the management and staff at Rhymney Valley Nursery, who bring a wealth of experience in tomato growing. These skills will give us the opportunity to deliver our on-going commitment to develop varieties with improved flavour for better tasting products.

'The site has excellent glasshouse facilities for Stubbins to develop its product range for the produce industry, and ownership of this nursery will improve control over our production and complement Stubbins' year-round supply of speciality and classic tomatoes to the UK retail sector.' He added: 'The purchase of Rhymney Valley Nursery illustrates the commitment of Stubbins to invest in long-term relationships with our customers.

'We will continue to base our philosophy on loyalty and commitment to our customers and growers.' For a more detailed insight into Stubbins' plans to develop its newest acquisition, see next week's Journal.

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