Powys soft drinks company Radnor Hills has bought a new factory that will see it expand its operations.

The Knighton-based company has acquired Highland Spring Group’s Welsh production site in Blaen Twyni, Swansea last week.

Radnor Hills has said the deal will “protect jobs at the site” and “support the ongoing strategic growth of the Radnor Hills business”.

The deal will also mean the company will also gain a 40-acre water source in the heart of Bannau Brycheiniog National Park which has “serviced major supermarkets in the UK with still, sparkling and flavoured natural source water drinks for several years”.

County Times: William Watkins, Founder and Managing Director of Radnor HillsWilliam Watkins, Founder and Managing Director of Radnor Hills (Image: Radnor Hills)

William Watkins, founder and managing director of Radnor Hills, said: “This deal represents an important milestone in the growth of our company and will allow us to keep pace with our growing consumer demand.

“The Blaen Twyni site presented us with the ideal opportunity to expand our capacity with a plentiful source of pure natural Welsh spring water, which complements the supply of pure water we already have at our source in Heartsease.

“We’re excited to welcome the highly skilled and dedicated workforce from Blaen Twyni to our Radnor family. The opportunity for us to continue to safeguard jobs in Wales and to offer further employment opportunities to the local area in the fullness of time is extremely important to us."

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Established in 1990, independent and family-owned, Radnor Hills has a turnover of £64.4 million and produces over 400 million drinks every year.

Radnor Hills has said that “a key business priority” has been to find an expansion opportunity in Wales that mirrors its other manufacturing base in Knighton, Powys.

Simon Oldham, managing director of Highland Spring Group, said: “We’re pleased to have agreed this deal with Radnor, and I would like to personally thank every single member of the site’s operations team for their professionalism and support during this transition. We wish them and the team at Radnor the very best for the future.