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William Chase (entrepreneur)

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William Chase
Chase in his Herefordshire apple orchards
Born
Herefordshire, West Midlands, England
NationalityBritish
OccupationEntrepreneur
Years active1980–present
ChildrenJames Chase, Harry Chase, Austin Chase, Thomas Chase

William Chase (born in Herefordshire, UK) is a British entrepreneur. He is the founder of the Tyrrells Potato Chips brand and Chase Distillery, Ltd. that produces Chase Vodka and Williams Gin and more recently Willy's Probiotic Live Foods that produces fermented foods and drinks.

Early life

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Chase grew up on his family's farm, Tyrrells Court, near Dilwyn in Herefordshire.[1] Having purchased the farm from his father at the age of 20 with a bank loan of £200,000,[2] a poor potato harvest and high interest rates forced him to declare bankruptcy in 1992.[3] He then re-established his business and began trading in potatoes to generate additional income.[4]

Tyrrells

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In 2002, Chase launched Tyrrells: a crisp brand made from potato varieties grown on his farm, including Lady Rosetta and Golden Wonder.[5] Chase initially favoured upmarket outlets such as Fortnum & Mason, Selfridges and Harrods, and independent retailers over mass-market sellers,[6] notably by forcing Tesco to cease stocking the product in 2006.[7] Turnover reached £14 million by 2008,[3] when he sold a majority stake in the firm to investment company Langholm Capital for £30 million.[5]

Chase Distillery

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Chase invested the proceeds from the sale of equity in Tyrrells to found the Chase Distillery, Ltd. in 2008.[8] Initially, the distillery focused exclusively on producing high-quality potato vodka from potatoes grown on site. The construction of an exceptionally tall 70 ft rectification column enabled Chase Vodka to be distilled up to 119 times.[5] Chase Vodka sales totalled £140,000 in the first year and the brand quickly achieved success on the export market.[2] Chase gradually developed and brought new products to market including fruit liqueurs (notably Chase Elderflower Liqueur) and flavoured vodkas (e.g. Chase Marmalade Vodka and Chase Smoked English Oak Vodka).

Chase Distillery is also responsible for the production of Williams Gin, which uses Chase Vodka as its base spirit. The alcohol is then infused with botanicals using a traditional carter head style still[9] to create a range of products including Williams Elegant Gin, Williams Sloe and Mulberry Gin, Chase Eureka Citrus Gin and Williams Seville Orange Gin.

Selladore En Provence (formerly Williams Chase Wines)

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As of 2016, the Chase Distillery forms part of the Williams Chase brand. Maison Williams Chase wines are cultivated at the Château Saint Jean de villecroze (previously called Château saint jean de villecroze in the French Provence region.[10]

Willy's ACV - Organic Probiotic Live Foods

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In 2014, William Chase launched Willy's ACV.

References

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  1. ^ "Will's Story". Archived from the original on 28 May 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  2. ^ a b Arnott, Sarah (6 January 2011). "William Chase: From posh crisps to best potato vodka". The Independent. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  3. ^ a b Smale, Will (8 February 2016). "The potato farmer who swapped bankruptcy for making millions". BBC. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  4. ^ Wall, Emma (3 July 2016). "Fame & Fortune:Tyrrells Crisps founder William Chase". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  5. ^ a b c Huix, Anna (11 June 2010). "The family behind the Tyrrells crisps brand has found a new use for its potatoes – artisan vodka". The Independent. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  6. ^ Miller, Rachel. "How I created the world's best vodka from my potato farm in Herefordshire". The Marketing Donut. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  7. ^ Milmo, Dan (18 September 2006). "Crunch time for Tesco in row with crisp maker". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  8. ^ Neate, Rupert (1 August 2013). "Tyrrells crisp firm makes a packet in £100m sale". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  9. ^ Williams, Rebecca (25 February 2014). "Williams Chase Gin: The Distillery Tour". HuffPost. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  10. ^ Kearns, Emily (16 May 2013). "Chase to make biodynamic wine and vermouth in Provence". Harpers. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
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