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From our foundations through to present day.
The company was founded in 1786 and incorporated as Kay Brothers Ltd in 1877. Various pharmaceutical and chemical products have been developed over the years, including anti-malaria tablets, flycatchers as well as firelighters.
In 1936, the first ZIP® firelighter was presented to the public, it was an innovative idea and was immediately successful.
Our Irish factory was set up in Castlebellingham in 1956 to support manufacturing centres in the UK and on the European continent.
In 1959 an extension was added to the Castlebellingham factory for the production of brown firelighters which consisted of wood flour mixed with kerosene and bound with a chemical agent.
In 1960 Reckitt & Colman purchased the business and commenced production of white firelighters. This was very innovative at the time because of its unique development which encapsulated kerosene within a solid substance.
In 1975 Annagassan Mills was purchased for the processing of peat to be incorporated into firelighters. Firelighter sales increased by 100% to 2 million cases in just 18 months!
In 1995 Reckitt & Colman transferred their entire European firelighter business to Castlebellingham.
In 1999 Reckitt & Colman merged with Benckiser NV. The new entity was renamed Reckitt Benckiser.
In 2001, Standard Brands (Ireland) Ltd and Graphite Ventures purchased the business from Reckitt Benckiser.
ZIP® launched the new Croína Tine Firelog in Ireland. Raw materials of Irish-grown willow and natural waxes are delivered directly to the Castlebellingham log production area, where the logs are made and hand-packed.
ZIP® rebrands the product range with a new contemporary look and feel, whilst retaining it's heritage of producing firelighters since 1936. The new packaging is rolled out.
ZIP launched a full summer range of products, including specifically designed BBQ firelighters, BBQ charcoal, natural firelighters, and disposable BBQ trays.
In 2017, the SHS Group purchased the Standard Brands (Ireland) Ltd. business from Graphite Ventures.
ZIP® rebrands the product range with a new contemporary look and feel, whilst retaining it's heritage of producing firelighters since 1936. The new packaging is rolled out.