A Timeline of Our Family Business

Following his apprenticeship, the trained butcher Jörg Mattfeld goes to Canada where he is inspired by North America’s large cash & carry markets.

The company moves to the newly constructed Building A on the abattoir premises with the addition of a meat processing area that will grow to 500 square metres (5,380 square feet) in the same year. Jörg Mattfeld returns from Canada with new ideas and joins his father’s company. A small cash & carry market with 80 square metres (860 square feet) of floor space provides the basis for what is now the Cash & Carry Fresh Foods Market. This is where Hamburg’s roughly 1,100 butchers (today there are 40) are offered a small selection of additional items such as canned pickles or Maggi cubes.

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From this combination of meat processing and cash & carry market, an import business began with frozen poultry from the USA. This has developed into the import of meat from Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay as well as the USA, Australia and New Zealand. Partner businesses in many of those countries produce our own matti’ s brand for us.

With Kai Mattfeld, the third generation joins the business.

The premises at Lagerstraße are privatized on January 1 and become Hamburg’s wholesale meat market (Fleischgroßmarkt Hamburg (FGH)).

The new construction of a 4,500 square metre building considerably increases the available space for the Cash & Carry Market on the first floor and the processing business on the ground floor.  The company’s administration moves to the new office floor.

The Cash & Carry Market is expanded by another 1,000 square metres (10,700 square feet), creating more space for freshness. A fruit and vegetable department as well as a fresh fish department are set up. The meat processing department now also produces minced meat that keeps for a long time thanks to packaging in a controlled atmosphere. Value added in production is increased through the seasoning, marinating and portioning of meat.

Jörg Mattfeld leaves gives up active management duties and hands over the company to his son Kai.
Following changes to the EC’s accreditation directive, the meat processing company becomes the first EC processing company accredited in Hamburg.

The meat department is expanded by another 500 square metres (5,300 square feet) to 2,500 square metres (26,900 square feet) for packaging and portioning.

Matthias Rudolph joins the company as Managing Director.

The processing business continues to grow. As part of the building modifications, a new department is created that makes the first few cook and chill products – the artisan convenience food production.

Peter Mattfeld & Sohn serves around 1,300 customers in its various departments every day. 130 employees work on the business’s total floor space of around 13,000 square metres (139,900 square feet).

The company keeps growing. A new expansion of another 4,500 square metres (48,400 square feet) provides space for logistics, production and the Cash & Carry Fresh Foods Market. This new construction also involves expanding the office space to get it ready for the future.