From two employees and a small office in London's St. James Hotel, De Monchy Aromatics has grown into a multinational operation spanning five continents.
In 1959, experienced trader Philip Petley decided to go into business for himself, and launched a small trading company, De Monchy Aromatics, which specialised in Asian essential oils. While searching for reliable sources of patchouli oil, he chanced across John Duffin, a Blyth Greene Jourdain essential oils trader who had strong connections with companies in Malaysia and Indonesia. Their business relationship soon turned to a partnership in 1971, when Petley asked Duffin to join De Monchy Aromatics.
Company development
Though prosperous, the seventies marked a period of transition for the company as it first partnered with Aromatica in 1973 and was later purchased by the New York-based trading company Van Ekris & Stoett (which later became the Balfour Maclaine / Kay Corporation) in 1978. After only a few short years, Van Ekris & Stoett decided to shut down their European operations. Petley departed, and in 1982 De Monchy Aromatics was acquired by Duffin. Under his leadership, the company expanded its range of essential oils to include citrus, and became a founding member of IFEAT.
Moving into the global market
Come the early nineties, Duffin's nephew, Martin Gill, joined the company and eventually took the reins in 1996. The transition kicked off a new period of growth for De Monchy, as the company made a strategic move into the processing and supply of aroma chemicals and began to expand its operations by opening a new site in Poole in 2000, establishing a joint-venture in Bulgaria in 2002, setting up a WFOE in Shanghai in 2005 and a sales office in Hong Kong in 2008, and most recently launching De Monchy Trading Ltd in 2012.
Presently, De Monchy Aromatics is continuing to develop its network of partners and suppliers around the world in order to deliver the highest quality flavour and fragrance ingredients to its global clientele.
