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it’s a family affair
There's nothing quite like keeping it in the family - and you won't find a much better family to hold up as an example of this than the Willis clan, who hail from Cwmbran.
It all started from very humble beginnings when Douglas Willis started as a Saturday boy at a well-known local butchers. By the age of 21 he was running his own shop.
When Douglas opened his first butchery shop in Old Cwmbran, back in 1947, there was no way he could have imagined that more than 60 years later, three generations of his family would still be working together every day, building what has now become a successful business empire, turning over £6m-plus per year.
In 1945, Douglas married Maureen, and their son, David, was born a year later.
David says he remembers being initiated into the business from a young age and has fond memories of the family's time at their terraced house in Griffithstown.
"I spent the early part of my childhood in our home on Station Road, at which time dad had a small farm in Pontydryn and a shop in the village itself. As I got a bit older, we moved from Pontydryn to Llanyrafon Farm and opened another shop opposite the farm.
"I think dad always secretly hoped I'd get involved with the business and I suppose it was the same with my own boys - but I never felt pushed, it just happened naturally.
"I was an only child but went on to have four sons - three of whom have joined the business - and I suppose it's never say never for the fourth!"
The company now boasts two retail outlets - situated at the Parade Shopping Centre and Llanyrafon Square, Cwmbran - as well as its factory at Llanyrafon, which supplies meat to a whole range of venues from small cafes to pubs, restaurants and hotels throughout south east Wales.
Formerly known as Croesllan Catering to the trade and Willis Butchers at its two retail outlets, the business recently rebranded to be solely known as Douglas Willis - paying tribute to its founder, who still plays an active role in the day-to-day running at the age of 82.
Both Douglas and David have their own farms at North Fleet and Cefn Mawr from which much meat is sourced and sold in its shops, guaranteeing both its freshness and quality. Douglas farms and purchases livestock and still gets up at 5am to start work.
David oversees all aspects of the business, delegating most of the day-to-day activities to Sean and Peter.
The younger generation consists of 39-year-old Sean, who manages the factory and all trade accounts, Peter, 38, who heads the retail arm and 22-year-old final year agricultural student, Greg. Currently studying in Shropshire, Greg intends to return home on completion of his course in order to take on the role of farm manager.
Fourth brother, 28-year-old Glenn, lives in Hawaii, running his own advertising agency.
Sean started his career as a chartered surveyor after completing his degree at Birmingham University but was drawn back into the family business on his return from London eight years ago.
Now living in Newport with his wife, Nicola and children, Bella, five, and Matthew, three, Sean says: "I wasn't really that interested in the family business when I left school but all that changed when my wife and I decided to move back to Wales to start a family.
"I was looking for a new career and it was just a natural step to come and work alongside the rest of the family - dad always said why earn the money for somebody else when you can quite literally keep it in the family'?"
For Peter, it was a different story. He started working in the family shops full-time at the age of 16 and became manager of the retail arm of the business at 17.
"I was always going to go straight into the business," says Peter, who lives in Griffithstown, with wife, Kath, and daughter, Grace, five.
"It was a natural progression and the way we've managed to expand the retail business to become far more than just your average butchers' shops - with our carvery and daily freshly cooked products - has been a real achievement."
Coming to the end of his course, Greg says he plans to travel for a year or so, picking up experience of farming methods across the world that he'll bring back and use to benefit the family business.
Summing up this family affair, David says: "We work together, play together and, although we don't technically all live together, the farms at North Fleet and Cefn Mawr, really are at the hub of family life. It's not always easy spending so much time together but it works and we've learnt when to speak and when to keep quiet around one another so it runs pretty smoothly most of the time!
"Dad is still just as involved as the rest of us and there's not much that gets past him.
"I know he's really proud of the family heritage and it's great that with the recent rebrand, we've been able to recognise this, while in the process updating the image of the company as we look to the future."
11:05am Tuesday 3rd June 2008
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