Our company was founded in 1877 by Thomas McCarthy who had emigrated from Ireland. The family took their summer holidays  in Gt.Yarmouth and towards the end of the 19th century his son Dan settled there and started up a fruit business. When the holiday seasons ended he was kept busy supplying the huge Scottish fishing fleet  that used Gt.Yarmouth harbour during the winter months.

When Dan joined  the Navy during the Great War of 1914-1918, his son Dan junior, left school at the age of 12 and worked on  the market stall  with his mother helping to feed the family. With her help Dan eventually moved into wholesaling. The business  prospered and became a limited company on 5th May 1939. Less than 3 years later however,  their warehouse had been bombed, and lorries requisitioned.

After the Second World War, supplies of fruits and vegetables slowly increased, although the majority of them were still rationed. In 1946  the first bananas since 1939 arrived in Gt.Yarmouth, and were allocated to young people under 18 years of age .

Dan’s wife Dolly served as company secretary from 1939  until her death in 1998. Their son John took over management of the company in 1955. Now his sons, Martin, Simon, David, and Peter are the fifth generation of  the family actively engaged in the running of the company.

Simon’s son Daniel, the sixth generation of our family, joined the firm in 2009

The company are proud holders of Royal Warrants to Her Majesty The Queen
and His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales.