Riverford Organic Vegetables has acquired fellow boxed vegetable scheme BoxFresh Organics and its wholesale arm, Flights Orchard Organics.

Riverford, which is based in Devon, with franchised farms throughout England, will take on BoxFresh’s 4,000 deliveries per week in the West Midlands. Boxfresh has bases in Shropshire and Herefordshire. A Riverford spokesperson said the merger would double the company’s wholesale business.

Julian Wild, director of Yorkshire law firm Rollits, whose Food Group advised Riverford on the merger, said, "Although we are based in Yorkshire, this was an excellent opportunity to work with the leading box scheme company in the country, located near Buckfastleigh in Devon, to acquire a business based in Ledbury, Herefordshire.

"Riverford is a tremendous business and we are delighted to have worked with them on this transaction."