Our story

Our Story

In 1991, Chris and Michelle Michael founded Meaco to specialise in monitoring and control equipment for museums and art galleries. The following year, they partnered with the Victoria and Albert Museum in London to create what they describe as "the world's first radio based environmental monitoring system." This raised the company's profile, and over the next decade Meaco became one of the most important suppliers of humidity monitoring and control equipment to museums across Europe.

In 1999, Mitsubishi Electric approached Meaco to serve as their sole UK distributor for portable dehumidifiers, launching a successful relationship that flourished for the next 20 years.

By 2005, Chris and Michelle sold the museum division to focus entirely on the growing domestic dehumidifier market.

In 2009, Meaco transitioned into manufacturing dehumidifiers, drawing on museum experience, its Mitsubishi distribution background, and customer feedback to design products that solve problems and improve quality of life.

The company now sells to over 20 countries across Europe, North America, and South Africa, with exports representing 50% of the business.

Meaco is recognised as a quality benchmark and has pushed the industry toward lower energy consumption, noting that competitors have followed suit, benefiting customers through reduced electricity bills.

Beginning in 2018, noise reduction became a major focus, with the company continuing to lower product noise levels without sacrificing energy efficiency.

In 2019, Meaco eliminated plastic hoses from its dehumidifiers, removing 75,000 metres of plastic waste, rising to 130,000 metres in 2020. The company urges other manufacturers to adopt similar measures.

In 2020, the company replaced several hundred thousands of pieces of polystyrene with recyclable cardboard in packaging, despite higher costs and reduced profits.

Meaco has won awards from Which?, Good Housekeeping, QuietMark, and Stiftung Warentest, but takes greater pride in daily customer feedback praising their support team and product impact.

The company supports local youth sports (rugby and swimming) and partners with the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation to support an elephant orphanage in Zambia.

Call us on 01483 234900 for product selection advice.