Company
Hollymatic Corporation was founded during the economic depression days of the 1930’s by Harry H. Holly who had been working as a structural iron worker when his employer was forced to close down. After searching six months for another job, he and his wife opened a hamburger shop in a small rent-free area under the back stairs of his grandmother’s home in Calumet City, Illinois, where they were living at the time.
The hamburger business grew, and it became apparent to Mr. Holly that molding hamburger patties took far too large a percentage of his time. He could never be certain if he was making or losing money, because the size of his patties was not consistent. This size variance also caused some patties to be overcooked, while others were underdone in the same time on the grill. An easier, more efficient way had to be found to make standard-sized patties. Searching for a better way, Mr. Holly built a simple yet ingenious patty machine from wood. A year later he patented the device. In 1937 he sold his restaurant business and concentrated on building steel versions of the original model. The remainder of the story is part of our lives today.
In December, 1982, the Company moved from Park Forest, Illinois to the present location in Countryside, Illinois.
Many patented improvements on the basic machine, along with additions to the product line, have been instrumental in the continued growth of the company.