Peter Graville, who began the company with his wife Vivien at their home in Cheam on 2nd February 1982, was the first to recognise the potential for table skirting and conference cloths in the European hospitality industry. Whereas hotel staff used to spend valuable time pinning linen into pleats to dress banqueting tables, table skirting (ready-pleated fabric that attaches to the table edge by means of plastic clips) did the same job in seconds.

Manufacturing was established in rural Herefordshire while Graville rapidly built a client list including most of the major European hotel chains. Visiting customers, Graville saw similar potential for a washable cloth to replace the ubiquitous green baize used on conference tables. It was not difficult to persuade conference managers of the merits of Snap-Drape's sueded cloths when one Park Lane hotel alone was spending £35,000 annually on baize.

In 1994, Snap-Drape further diversified into lightweight aluminium banqueting furniture also manufactured in the UK. This came after a large order for furniture was received by Snap-Drape at a French exhibition in 1994. However, the UK furniture company for whom Snap-Drape was agent went out of business before filling the order. Facing significant penalties, Snap-Drape took over the factory, re-employed the staff short-term and honoured the order. This division of the Group became Forbes Furniture, specialising in tables and stacking chairs. Last July, Snap-Drape supplied the Rome Marriott, the largest convention hotel in Europe, (capacity 7000 delegates) with 1000 fitted conference covers and 2000 chair covers, besides 1740 Forbes tables - enough to stretch the length of Oxford Street.

Graville expanded his offices from the UK into the Benelux, France and Germany, then Italy and Spain. Today Snap-Drape supplies hotels in more than 30 countries. It also supplies the National Health Service, HM Forces, universities, sports venues, industrial companies, charities and other organisations, with whom its logo'd cloths are popular.

In 1992, the Gravilles left Surrey for Herefordshire. A new factory was built on Leominster's Industrial Estate in 1994, where production continues today. The town has a historical connection with textiles. The original woolsack of the House of Lords was allegedly stuffed with the wool from local Ryeland sheep – the wool being known as 'Lemster ore' after the gold it earned. Today Snap-Drape might not be spinning gold, but the 42 jobs that it provides are invaluable in this struggling market town. Furthermore, the workforce reflects the diversity of Snap-Drape's markets. The employment of office staff from Poland, Estonia and Slovakia indicates one focus of current marketing efforts.

Graville attributes the company's longevity to careful attention to the needs of its customers. 'We are frequently asked to find new solutions to satisfy the requirements of the changing hospitality industry,' he says. To prove his point, he has recently developed new skirting that attaches to tables without Snap-Drape's familiar clips. 'It is not as flexible as the original system,' he observes, 'but is very easy to use, and fulfils the requirements of many of our clients.'

Herefordshire's Ryeland sheep are almost as rare as British textile manufacturers, but like some of his farming neighbours, Peter Graville is confounding expectations and shepherding Snap-Drape towards growth in a fiercely competitive market.