Masterfoods |
Master Foods of Australia (as we know it today) was founded by Henry Lewis in 1926 and passed onto his sons, John, David and Victor before becoming part of the Mars familys group of companies in 1967.
Henry had bought up the stock from the liquidation of another company, Auther Huxtable & Son, when he started his own business selling speciality foods.
The company was called "Henry Lewis & Company". His three sons, who all followed him into the business, had a Great Great Grandfather who became Mayor of Queenscliff and also set up a business. He would buy the fishermens catches, ice the fish and send them up to the gold diggings. Business was clearly in the blood!
Henry Lewis & Company was initially involved in marketing speciality items such as paprika, bay leaves and canned asparagus which were imported from overseas.
In the 1940s, due to the outbreak of war, importation was severely restricted. Consequently the company acted as an agent and distributor for Australian and New Zealand companies. After the war, the company, now Henry Lewis & Sons, re-established the contacts with food businesses overseas. At the same time, European immigration into Australia boomed. The company started to import speciality foods such as mustards, anchovies, caviar, olives, smoked salmon and herrings; all favourites of the new Australians.
In 1949, Henrys son Victor returned from the United States after several years studying the food industry and becoming one of the very first Food Technologists in Australia.
In 1950, Henry and his sons decided to start manufacturing rather than simply re-packing. They had developed a brand name for their new products, MASTERFOODS, which was first registered in 1945 where it was used on re-packaged goods such as herbs and spices. The very first product manufactured under the MASTERFOODS brand was Bread & Butter Cucumbers.
In 1952, a number of products were added to the MASTERFOODS range: mustard, paprika, Lemon Aid and mint jelly. Other products such as soy sauce, poppy seeds, curry and bay leaves were still being imported. In 1954 the first sales of the MASTERFOODS branded products were made to New Zealand.
The first herbs and spices in glass jars were also produced in 1954 and included products such as celery salt and vanillin sugar. In the 1950s, a number of products were launched that still remain very popular today: Corn Relish, Devilled Ham, Hot English Mustard, Horseradish Cream and the ever popular PROMITE Spread. The business continued to grow into the 1960s and a new factory was built at Matraville, a suburb of Sydney NSW.
In the 1960s the company was still importing speciality foods from overseas, one being UNCLE BENS rice. The UNCLE BENS brand belonged to Mars, Incorporated from the United States. A relationship was formed which eventually led to the purchase of the business in 1967.
The business has continued to expand and relocated to Berkeley Vale, Wyong Shire, on the Central Coast of NSW with its state of the art facility officially opening in 1992.
Master Foods of Australia today offers over products in categories as diverse as mustards, shelf stable dips, beans, marinades, relishes, sauces, herbs & spices (dry & wet), pasta and stir fry sauces, PROMITE and dressings. It exports to New Zealand, the USA and Canada, and throughout the Asian and Pacific region as well as supplying the food service and industrial sectors.
❊ Address ❊
⊜ PO Box 397 Wyong 2259 View Map
✆ Telephone: 1800 816 016
❊ Web Links ❊
➼ Masterfoods
➼ www.abn.org.au
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