From the Almagov to the Cabinet Dish Rack DripDry
The History
The Drip Dry (or DripDry) is the trademark and patented installation kit modeled after the Almagov, as seen in Israel. This design has also been popular throughout Europe, including in Italy and Finland, where it is known as Astiankuivauskaappi.
The DripDry’s history credits back to Nathan Manor, born in 1916 in Warsaw. He was a creative child with a knack for engineering. As a schoolboy, Nathan built a special gift for Poland’s prime minister. This later saved his life by helping him escape the Holocaust. In memoriam of his family who perished, Nathan joined the British army. After Eretz Yisroel was founded, he headed a repair workshop in Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and continued to solve design problems.
At home, Nathan’s ingenuity extended to his wife’s kitchen where he saw a problem and a solution. It all started when Nathan and Mrs. Manor wanted to renovate their kitchen. Nathan’s ideas were thought of by kitchen design renovations inspired by Israeli architecture. Mrs. Manor insisted on
keeping a wooden rack above her sink but it was too high. She wanted the water to drain directly into the sink. As a result, Nathan thought it was ugly and told his wife he would make an improvement. He said “I will make an Israeli dish rack that hides in the cupboard. And it will go up and down to make your life easier.”…and he did.
After the renovation, his wife’s kitchen was the kitchen of envy in their hometown! When friends saw the rack went up and down and disappeared into the cabinet they forced the Manor family into production. Neighbors demanded mass production for the dish rack mounted above the sink. Nathan turned his family’s home into a factory and soon after opened a modern factory with molding machines for the cabinet dish rack drainer – changing the kitchens for all in the Land of Milk and Honey.
European Finnish Israel History Of The Hidden Cabinet Dish Rack Drain System
Today Manor Industries, LTD is a manufacturer of plastic dish rack products. Its best-known product is the original “Almagov,” from the meaning “no towel to dry”. The company was founded in 1975 in Israel where it is headquartered. Today, Manor Industries is managed by Per Lovgren.
In 2007, an Israeli-American woman, Tali Simhoni, was living in New York City, in a small studio apartment. The kitchen was so narrow that Tali could touch the walls standing with arms wide open. She removed a shelf from the cabinet above the sink and put a dish rack there, but it could not drain without water hitting the cabinet. The same problem occurred in Tali’s kitchen in Miami Beach. When Tali spoke with neighbors in NYC and Miami Beach, they all agreed that such an improvement was a necessity. Remembering her home in Israel with an Almagov, Tali ventured out to find a similar drainage apparatus for her kitchen. But, there wasn’t anything
available in stores or on the Internet that could be mounted into an existing cabinet. Tali contacted Manor Industries, Inc. and discussed this terrible problem, but, the Almagov was intended for cabinets that were specifically made to have it installed. This problem had to be solved.
Tali thought of a new concept, a template to cut out the bottom of an existing cabinet, or a template that could be used to build a frame for a bottomless cabinet, and, an assortment of pieces that could be used to
mount the racks into any style of cabinet. Tali formed the BLH Corp. in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, with a vision of changing America’s kitchens, and to bring the DripDry home.
The Israeli Dish Rack DripDry is the first multi-use draining system installation kit for kitchen cabinets that instantly improves lifestyle and a kitchen’s appearance. Easy to install, it is used as a dish rack, colander, and soap/ sponge storage. See our portfolio here.
Contact: tali@thedripdry.com
In 2013, in Miami Beach, Valeria Martinez visited Tali’s apartment and it was there that the DripDry caught Valeria’s attention. Tali invited Valeria to accompany her to an apartment, in a nearby Jewish community, where the customer with a kosher kitchen design installed the static model Israeli dish rack DripDry. The customer insisted that it was the best solution to get rid of his countertop dishes. Valeria appeared to be very fashionable and being that she speaks Spanish and has extensive experience managing and growing business in both the US and Latin markets, it became clear that Valeria would be a wonderful addition to the BLH team. In 2014, Valeria joined BLH as Head of Marketing. She has a bachelor degree in HR and accounting from Hofstra University and over 15 years experience.
Contact: valeria@thedripdry.com
More About the DripDry Cabinet Dish Rack
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See DripDry dish drain in – cabinet reviews in Today.com, Apartment Therapy, Life Edited and Tony Wideman’s.