Boasting a career spanning four decades in the potato industry, Phillip Williams reveals his journey from farming the fields to establishing one of the biggest names in the business…

Son of a farmer, Phillip had always known a career in his father’s footsteps was not for him. Barely out of his teens, he felt he was ready to follow a different path and so decided to open his own business selling fruit and vegetables in his hometown of Kenton.

The ambitious 20-year-old quickly built up a strong customer base – including a string of fish and chip shops, which resulted in him swapping fresh fruit and veg for potatoes. As business grew, he found himself delivering fresh potatoes to chippies across Devon while earning himself a solid reputation in the industry.

Then, one day out of the blue, Phillip was approached by a customer asking if he was able to regrit his potato peeler. Always ready for a challenge, the potato merchant took the device away and got to work. Word soon got out about the new services Phillip was able to offer and demand began to grow.

“I saw there was an opportunity to expand my business,” recalls Phillip. “That led me to contact Dave Hughes at Bold Catering Equipment because I knew about the high-quality chippers and peelers he offered.”

From that day forward Bold Catering has been 100% behind Phillip’s company, Williams Potatoes, and has been supplying it with new equipment and spare parts for a number of years. In fact, the companies have been working so closely together that Williams is now one of the main suppliers of Bold catering equipment in the whole of the UK.

“Bold is probably the best firm I’ve ever dealt with in my 36 years in the business,” adds Phillip. “Dave is a really nice and trusting man. He just came down to see our company, liked what we were doing and it all started from there.”

According to Phillip, Bold’s R1 Chippers are one of the most sought after chippers on the market. The machines can produce chips sized between six and 21mm. “Basically the machines speak for themselves,” says Phillip. “All of my customers give the same positive feedback; that Bold products are well-built, strong, easy to clean and reliable. What more can I say?”

The popularity of Bold equipment has increasingly been spreading overseas. Twelve years after introducing Bold products to his offering, Phillip is now doing business with companies as far afield as Denmark, Belgium and Libya.

More recently, Williams Potatoes secured a major deal with one of the biggest drive-through restaurants in the world, The Varsity in America. The company sold eight R1 Chippers to the eatery and ever since, Phillip has seen his company grow from strength to strength.

“It was fantastic news when we got this deal through. I think they found us through our webpage. The company is over the moon with the machines - they just wish they could have found Bold sooner as the R1 Chipper is one of the only machines that can make 6mm chips.”

Phillip is hoping that the deal will now open doors for more export for the company. He is planning to expand his international operations and establish Williams Potatoes as a global company – a move which Bold is very much behind.

So what is it that makes Williams Potatoes so different? Workers are often able to repair machines on-site which a lot of firms in the industry are not prepared to do. In addition, the company sells secondhand equipment as well as new, and also offers to part-exchange old exquipment for new.

“The potato industry is more difficult than people realise,” adds Phillip. “They’re not manufactured; they’re grown in the ground so lots of problems can occur that are out of your control. That’s why I think my background in farming has helped me in the industry because I understand the issues involved.”

Phillip attributes a lot of his company’s success to the solid reputation it has earned itself over the years. He says one of the keys things that should come to mind when people think of Williams Potatoes is reliability. Although the firm is not open seven days a week, if a customer finds themselves stranded and urgently needs to hire equipment, Phillip insists his company will be there to help them.

“I owe a lot of my success to my staff and I want to give a huge thanks to them, especially my manager Steve Hervin. They’ve been so loyal to me over the years and have really helped me push the business forward.”

He adds: “Although we are well known for our equipment, we also sell potatoes to dozens of fish and chip shops in the local area. It’s very difficult keeping the customer happy in the potato industry and this year has been a particularly bad year for potatoes. But when you succeed it’s very rewarding.

“If I had my time all over again I wouldn’t do anything differently except get into the chipper and peeler business long before I did.”

Phillip’s Tip for Success

Don’t be greedy and take too much profit! Trying to get rich too quickly won’t work. Just focus on making sure your business will still be here next year because there are many that won’t

Benn Hall, Rock ‘n’ Sole, Dawlish

“I’ve been in the fish and chip shop game for 18 years now and have always used Williams Potatoes. Phillip and his team are so reliable. Whether it’s a bank holiday or a weekend, Phillip is always just a phone call away. I remember once I ran out of spuds on a Sunday evening and after a quick phone call he turned up to help me out. I wouldn’t even contemplate using another supplier and I’d recommend Phillip to anyone.”

www.williamspotatoes.co.uk 01626 890 871

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