Mattessons

Mattessons is a United Kingdom processed-meat brand associated with sausages, pâté, sliced meats, spreads and convenient meat snacks. Its origins date to 1947, when Richard Mattes, a butcher from the Rhineland who had moved to England during the 1930s, established the business with his son Werner Mattes. Richard Mattes sought to adapt elements of continental European meat cuisine to the British market. The end of post-war rationing allowed the company to move toward recipes with a higher meat content and to broaden its product range. The business expanded through a series of product introductions that helped make packaged meat more accessible to British shoppers. Its Chubs spread line appeared in 1966. In 1970, the company introduced what has been described as the United Kingdom’s first pre-packed sliced meat, followed in 1971 by the country’s first pâté. These launches reflected a broader shift in British grocery retail toward chilled convenience foods, pre-portioned products and packaged alternatives to meat bought directly from a butcher. Mattessons became part of Unilever in 1965 and was subsequently operated within Unilever Meat Group UK, alongside brands and businesses including Wall’s, Lawsons and Drings. Werner Mattes remained associated with the group and chaired the meat organization until his retirement in 1986. After that retirement, Mattessons was combined with the meat business of Wall’s to create Mattessons Wall’s. The combined operation was sold to Kerry Group in 1994, after which the Mattessons name continued as a consumer brand within Kerry’s food portfolio. The brand’s best-known historical marketing was its 1970s television advertising. The advertisements used an exaggerated “Mmmm” vocal cue and the line “Just try saying Mattessons without saying Mmm,” linking the brand name to appetite and sensory enjoyment. This advertising helped establish Mattessons as a recognizable household name in British food retail. In the modern market, Mattessons has been particularly associated with chilled convenience products and Fridge Raiders, a range of ready-to-eat meat snacks. A 2012 Fridge Raiders campaign used the Cockney rhyming-slang expression “Hank Marvin,” meaning hungry, and depicted secondary-school pupils dressed as the guitarist while returning home with Fender Stratocaster guitars. The campaign connected the product with an after-school hunger occasion and British popular culture. Mattessons remains primarily a United Kingdom-facing brand. Public reference material identifies its principal categories and ownership history, but does not establish a separate current corporate headquarters, a comprehensive international distribution footprint, or a complete current product catalogue. Those details are therefore left unspecified here.

Mattessons was founded in 1947 by Richard Mattes and his son Werner Mattes. Richard Mattes was a Rhineland-born butcher who had arrived in England in the 1930s. The founding idea was to make an Anglo-British version of foods associated with his home region. Wartime and post-war rationing constrained the ingredients available to the business, but the end of rationing enabled the company to develop recipes closer to the continental style that had inspired it, including products with a higher proportion of meat. The company grew by developing packaged and convenient meat products for the British grocery market. Its product history includes the introduction of Chubs spread in 1966, pre-packed sliced meat in 1970 and pâté in 1971. These launches were significant within the brand’s documented history because they extended Mattessons beyond traditional butcher-shop formats and helped establish it in the expanding market for chilled, ready-to-use foods. Unilever acquired Mattessons in 1965. The brand became part of Unilever Meat Group UK, an organization that also included Wall’s, Lawsons and Drings. Werner Mattes continued to play a senior role in the meat business and served as chairman of the group until retiring in 1986. Following his retirement, Mattessons was combined with the meat operations of Wall’s to create Mattessons Wall’s. In 1994, the combined business was sold to Kerry Group. Mattessons subsequently continued under Kerry ownership as a United Kingdom meat brand. The available reference material does not provide a detailed account of every later corporate restructuring or the current legal entity responsible for production, so the brand’s ownership is recorded at the Kerry Group level rather than assigned to an unspecified subsidiary. Advertising has been central to Mattessons’ identity. The brand became especially well known in the 1970s for television commercials built around a repeated “Mmmm” sound and the line “Just try saying Mattessons without saying Mmm.” The campaign made the brand name itself part of the appetite appeal and helped give Mattessons broad recognition in Britain. In the twenty-first century, Fridge Raiders became one of the brand’s prominent convenience-snack offerings. In 2012, Mattessons promoted Fridge Raiders through a campaign based on “Hank Marvin,” a Cockney rhyming-slang phrase meaning hungry. The execution showed a group of secondary-school pupils dressed as the guitarist and carrying Fender Stratocaster guitars as they travelled home. The campaign positioned the product as an immediate solution to after-school hunger while drawing on recognizable British music and language references. Mattessons is therefore best understood as a United Kingdom processed-meat brand whose development combines continental-inspired origins, packaged-food innovation, ownership by major food groups and advertising-led brand building. The reference material supports a continuing brand presence, but it does not establish a separate current headquarters, a full international market list or a complete list of present-day products.

• 2012

  Fridge Raiders advertising campaign launches

  [1]Mattessonsen.wikipedia.org

  Mattessons promotes Fridge Raiders with a campaign built around the expression “Hank Marvin,” meaning hungry.

• 1994

  Mattessons Wall’s is sold to Kerry Group

  [1]Mattessonsen.wikipedia.org

  The combined Mattessons Wall’s meat business is sold by Unilever to Kerry Group.

• 1986

  Werner Mattes retires

  [1]Mattessonsen.wikipedia.org

  Werner Mattes retires as chairman of Unilever Meat Group UK, after which Mattessons is merged with Wall’s meat operations.

• 1971

  Pâté is introduced

  [1]Mattessonsen.wikipedia.org

  Mattessons launches a pâté product described in the reference material as the first UK pâté.

• 1970

  Pre-packed sliced meat is launched

  [1]Mattessonsen.wikipedia.org

  Mattessons introduces a pre-packed sliced-meat product described as the first in the United Kingdom.

• 1966

  Chubs spread is introduced

  [1]Mattessonsen.wikipedia.org

  The company adds Chubs spread to its growing range of packaged processed-meat products.

• 1965

  Unilever acquires Mattessons

  [1]Mattessonsen.wikipedia.org

  Mattessons becomes part of Unilever and is later operated within Unilever Meat Group UK.

• 1947

  Mattessons is founded

  [1]Mattessonsen.wikipedia.org

  Richard Mattes and his son Werner Mattes establish the business in the United Kingdom to produce meat foods influenced by Richard’s Rhineland background.

Convenient, accessible processed-meat foods for everyday British grocery and snacking occasions, with a brand heritage built on product innovation and memorable advertising.

• Processed meat

  Sausages

  Sausages are one of Mattessons’ core product associations and form part of the brand’s broader processed-meat range. The available reference material identifies sausages as a principal category but does not specify individual recipes, pack sizes, meat formulations or the complete current assortment.

• Meat spread · 1971

  Pâté

  Mattessons entered pâté in 1971 with a product described in reference material as the first pâté introduced in the United Kingdom. The line extended the brand’s offer into spreadable, packaged meat foods suited to household meal and snack occasions.

• Sliced processed meat · 1970

  Pre-packed sliced meat

  Introduced in 1970, Mattessons’ pre-packed sliced meat represented a convenience-oriented alternative to meat purchased and sliced at a traditional butcher. The product is part of the brand’s documented contribution to packaged meat retail in the United Kingdom.

• Meat spread · 1966

  Chubs

  Chubs was a Mattessons spread line introduced in 1966. It illustrates the company’s early expansion into packaged, ready-to-use meat products, although the available sources do not provide a complete description of its ingredients or current availability.

• Ready-to-eat meat snack

  Fridge Raiders

  Fridge Raiders is a ready-to-eat meat-snack range associated with Mattessons’ modern convenience positioning. Its marketing presents the products as an immediate snack for hunger occasions, including the after-school occasion highlighted in the 2012 campaign.

• 2012Fridge Raiders “Hank Marvin” campaign

  United Kingdom

  The Fridge Raiders campaign used the Cockney rhyming-slang expression “Hank Marvin,” meaning hungry. The advertisement showed secondary-school students dressed as the guitarist and playing Fender Stratocaster guitars while heading home.

  Outcome. The campaign connected Fridge Raiders with British youth culture, music references and the after-school hunger occasion. A quantified commercial result is not provided in the source material.

  Source
• 1970Mmmm television advertising

  United Kingdom

  Mattessons became widely recognized through television advertisements centered on an elongated “Mmmm” sound and the instruction to try saying the brand name without making that sound.

  Outcome. The campaign became a defining part of the brand’s identity and is associated with Mattessons’ strong recognition in Britain during the 1970s.

  Source

• 1994

  Sale to Kerry GroupM&A

  Background

  Mattessons Wall’s was operating as a combined Unilever meat business.

  Action taken

  Unilever sold the combined operation to Kerry Group.

  Aftermath

  Mattessons continued as a Kerry-owned consumer meat brand.

  Source

• 1986

  Combination with Wall’s meat operationsStrategy

  Background

  Werner Mattes retired as chairman of Unilever Meat Group UK.

  Action taken

  Mattessons was combined with the meat side of Wall’s to form Mattessons Wall’s.

  Aftermath

  The combined business remained within Unilever until its sale to Kerry Group in 1994.

  Source

• 1965

  Unilever acquisitionM&A

  Background

  Mattessons had expanded its processed-meat activities and product range since its founding in 1947.

  Action taken

  Unilever acquired the business and incorporated it into its UK meat operations.

  Aftermath

  Mattessons operated within Unilever Meat Group UK alongside Wall’s, Lawsons and Drings.

  Source

1. 1Mattessonsen.wikipedia.org