Legendry!

90 Years of Drywite 1933 - 2023:

This year Drywite Limited is celebrating its 90th anniversary, having evolved from the Pioneer Potato Company Ltd, which was incorporated on 20th July 1933 by Harold G Lee, when his fourteen-year-old son Malcolm had had the inspired idea of supplying ready peeled potatoes to caterers and housewives in his local area of Smethwick and West Bromwich.

To overcome the problem of their peeled potatoes turning brown when kept out of water, Malcolm enrolled on a chemistry course and with the help of his lecturer, he and his father formulated their own preservative, which allowed them to pack dry potatoes in paper bags. However, these dry and white potatoes soon caught the attention of a local fish frier who asked if he could buy some of this wonderful product in order to treat his own potatoes. Word quickly spread amongst the local Fish Frying community, and it caused such interest that by 1935, Malcolm and his father realised they could make more money selling their preservative than their peeled potatoes. So, the decision was made to patent their preservative as Drywite Potato Preparation and change the name of the company to Drywite Limited.

In 1939 Harold Lee purchased larger industrial premises in the Hill Top area of West Bromwich, and although World War Two curtailed growth, with the end of hostilities, Harold and Malcolm wasted no time in getting Drywite Limited back up and running. Now able to invest in product development and look for new markets, the famous glass salt and vinegar pots were introduced and Drywite became the main supplier of Wirax Wirewares to fish frier distributors. In the early 1950’s Malcolm travelled to Los Angeles in Southern California to establish the Drywite Corporation of America, which for ten years or so, manufactured Drywite Potato Preparation under licence for the North American market. Malcolm Lee also took an interest in the development of plastics, recognising a market within the Fish Frying Industry for products such as trays, buckets and potato dipping tanks made from this revolutionary new material.

In 1960 Malcolm’s eldest daughter Briar joined the company and it moved to its current premises in Park Lane Halesowen, then in 1972 Malcolm’s son Kelvin joined the business. In 1988 at the age of 70, Malcolm retired as Managing Director but continued as Chairman, Kelvin then took over the role of Managing Director and Briar became Sales Director. When Malcolm Lee died in 1993, Kelvin and Briar established the Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year competition in his memory, presenting the Malcolm Lee Trophy each year since 1995 to the best under 25-year-old fish frier in the country. Malcolm Lee had a passion for the Fish Frying Industry, and he also strived to encourage and support young people in business. He recognised the need to promote Fish & Chips amongst the young, not only to get more young people involved in the trade, but to also prove that by achieving higher standards of quality, Fish & Chips can compete with the best food establishments in the UK providing a highly rewarding and lucrative long-term career. The Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year Award became recognised as one of the top Fish & Chip Industry awards in the UK, however, due to Covid and Seafish withdrawing support, the competition has missed three years. We are now very pleased to announce that it is now back, and we look forward to presenting a new DYFFY winner with the Malcolm Lee trophy in 2024. www.drywite.co.uk

Since 1933

PROUDLY SUPPLYING THE FISH FRYING INDUSTRY FOR 90 YEARS

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