William Watkins, Radnor Hills

The Radnor Hills Water Company, based in Knighton, Mid Wales, was founded by Wiliam Watkins in 1990 when he began bottling water from a spring on his family farm and supplying cuplets to the airline industry.

As demand for their bottled mineral water grew, William installed the company’s first bottling line in 1995 and from then on, the company has developed into a leading soft drinks company, producing around 250m bottles a year.

The company, a significant employer in rural mid Wales, has around 180 staff and as well as offering a product development service for private label customers, produces a range of own-brand drinks products, from bottled water to juices and soft drinks.

Radnor Hills is keen on innovation, which led to the introduction of a new range of Tetra-packaged products in 2017. This is a more environmentally-friendly packaging and means the product can last longer.

2018 is looking positive for the company, with an 8th production line being installed, which will increase their production capacity to around 400m bottles a year.

The company is also sponsor of many community initiatives including the Royal Welsh Show and have partnered with the Tree Aid charity, where a donation from every bottle of Fruella juice will go towards planting trees in Africa.