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Fulling Mill can trace its roots all the way back to the early 1930s. Have a look through our heritage timeline below to get an idea of some of the key dates since then. If you are a history bug and want to know more, drop us an email to enquiries@fullingmill.com and we can arrange access to our Fulling Mill company archives - a gold mine of fly tying history.
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EARLY 1930s
A rugby accident leaves keen fisherman Denis Whetham nearly paralysed, he retreats to Kenya to recuperate and takes up fly tying to keep occupied.
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1930s
Denis proves excellent at the craft of fly tying and establishes a modest fly tying business to sell flies to friends and local customers.
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1960s
Denis’s passion blossoms into a serious business with 30 fly tyers working for him and a customer base in over 20 countries.
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END 1960s
Denis sells his business to leading tea producer, Brook Bond; they rename the company Kenya Fishing Flies. Denis accepts a position in the company as Marketing Director.
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1970s
Denis helps retired Colonel, Andy Unwin to set up a fly tying company, Unwin & Sons in Kenya. Kenya Fishing Flies ceases trading and several of its experienced tyers join Unwins.
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MID 1970s
Unwin & Sons prospers based in an old aircraft hangar on a tea plantation near Nandi Hills, Western Kenya.
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1980s
Andy’s son Barry sets up Fulling Mill in the UK in partnership with Unwin & Sons to help distribute flies in the UK and internationally.
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1995
Fulling Mill acquires Unwin & Sons from Andy who takes a well-deserved retirement and lives out his days in Nairobi, Kenya.
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2004
The Nandi Hills building is in need of modernisation and Fulling Mill decides to build a new state of the art factory 60 miles away in Kericho, most staff moving with the business.
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2005
Fulling Mill establish their US base and leases the Barn in Claremont, New Hampshire to accommodate its main customer Orvis and potentially open up for future business under its own name.
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2013
Barry Unwin retires from the business and sells his shares in Fulling Mill to a consortium led by Scottish entrepreneur, fly fishing enthusiast and businessman, Alister Jack.
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2014
The company further commits to its US operations and acquires the Barn and extends it adding 2,500 sq foot to the existing storage and distribution facility.
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2015
Fulling Mill opens a new manufacturing facility in Sri Lanka to accommodate increased demand for Fulling Mill flies.
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