Page 4 - Tyrrells CS

ORIGINS

In early 2000 William Chase had been forced to abandon his

potato business when his chipping crop was rejected by

McCain (but soon found that kettle Chips wanted to buy
them). This, along with the continuing pressure from large

supermarkets, led by Tesco, who had begun sourcing

produce from overseas to push down their costs, forced his
decision to change. Chase loved farming but his traumatic

experiences, especially those associated with the large

supermarkets, which squeezed product margins and

spawned red-tape and meetings, persuaded him to look for
other avenues of activity which freed him from the drudgery

of a ‘captured supplier’.

He had been farming potatoes for 20 years, mostly
supplying these supermarkets as a commodity, which he

said:

“left me feeling detached - without any feedback from the

end customer.”

With a strong desire to remain in farming he sought a

solution to his problem both, practical and psychological
and hit upon the idea to turn his potatoes into chips.

His solution capitalised on his core knowledge of the potato,
the farming industry and his innate belief that he could

produce a better crisp, soon to become chip, than that

which was on offer in the market at the time.