The woman behind South Africa’s most iconic food brand

Some brands do more than fill shelves. They become part of a national identity. In South Africa, Mrs H.S. Ball’s Chutney is one of those rare icons.

Whether it’s the perfect sidekick to a spicy curry, a braai essential, or the finishing touch on a cheese sandwich, it’s hard to imagine a South African kitchen, or a dish like bobotie, without it.

As Tamara Oberholster wrote in the Journal of Marketing, “as Guinness is to Ireland and Ferrari is to Italy, so is Mrs Ball’s to South Africa.”

There are many differing accounts about the brand’s long history, yet all trace back to Amelia Alice Elizabeth Adkins.

The official Mrs. Ball’s website claims the chutney recipe originated with an Indian chef aboard the SS Quanza, which shipwrecked off South Africa’s coast in 1852.

They claim that Amelia’s parents, Henry James Adkins and Elizabeth (Sarah) Spalding, survived and preserved the recipe.

However, critics say that this marketing tale is embellished, noting the shipwreck occurred in 1872, not 1852 and that the two only met in South Africa.

Regardless of how they got the recipe, the two got married in King William’s Town in 1852 and settled in the nearby village of Fort Jackson to run a general dealership. 

The Adkins had seven sons and four daughters, including Amelia, who was born in 1865.

In an interview with Brand South Africa, Desmond Ball, Amelia’s great-grandson, said that Sarah started making chutney commercially around 1870. 

However, she was not skilled at brand-building, ultimately labelling her product “Mrs Henry Adkins Senior, Colonial Chutney Manufacturer, Fort Jackson, Cape Colony”.

After Sarah’s death, Amelia’s sister and brother, Florence and Harold, continued to manufacture chutney at Fort Jackson.

In 1886, Amelia married railway superintendent Herbert Saddleton (HS) Ball at Newlands, East London. They moved to Johannesburg with their seven children, with Amelia taking her mother’s chutney recipe with her. 

During the First World War, Amelia began making chutney for her family and friends. It was so popular that she decided to turn it into a business.

She initially sold it at church bazaars, and by 1918, she was selling an average of 24 bottles a day. 

Amelia’s husband would take a few bottles by train into Cape Town every day to sell, which is how he met businessman Fred Metter.

Upon HS’s retirement, the Balls moved to the pretty coastal town of Fish Hoek. Here, Mrs Ball started increasing her production from her home.

Soon, her production outgrew her home-industry scale. Thus, she and her husband approached Metter to take the business to the next level, which they successfully did.

Metter magic

Metter had a business in Bree Street called Metter & Koenigsfest, later shortened to Metter & Co., which represented overseas brands. 

Granddaughter of Metter Shelley Garb told the Jewish Report that he wanted to “take a chance” on the product he believed in, knowing how to scale it.

When asked what she would name the chutney, Amelia replied, “Mrs HS Ball’s Chutney” (her husband’s initials), and the brand was born. 

He started selling it on the Balls’ behalf. Metter quickly realised the chutney’s popularity and the need for much larger-scale production, and became immersed in the product. 

He is credited with being integral in designing the octagonal jar, the oval label, and the Ball family crest. 

Together with Amelia Balls’ two brothers and some businessmen Metter knew, they built a factory in Retreat, and their Cape Town offices also moved there. 

The factory was ultimately relocated three times, each time to larger premises, eventually settling in Diep River. Under Metter’s marketing efforts, sales increased significantly.

Initially, only the original recipe chutney was made. However, Amelia’s uncle Harry liked things with a “bit of a bite” and would crush a chilli into the chutney, which led to the creation of Mrs. Ball’s Hot Chutney. 

Metter is credited with deciding that peach chutney would sell, so it was added to the lineup. By 1957, the product began to be exported to the UK.

Many family members worked in the factory. For example, Desmond Ball, Amelia’s great-grandson, used to work in the factory during the holidays. His uncle, Edward Ball, was the manager.

Meanwhile, Amelia’s sister, Florence, and brother, Harold, continued to make the “Adkins Chutney,” which they had inherited from their mother. 

“It caused quite a lot of strife,” said Desmond. “Here were these two sisters, both making chutney, in direct competition with each other.”

Florence and Harold later sold Adkins Chutney to Warne Bros, which was then sold to Iona Products, and it eventually went out of production in the 1970s. 

The different outcomes for the two chutneys, both made with the same recipe, have been attributed to marketing. 

Mrs. Ball herself passed away in 1962 at the age of 97. Her son and grandson made sure the original recipe was kept secret after her death.

By the 1970s, the factory had become too large for the independent manufacturers to manage, and dealing with major supermarkets had become difficult due to price cuts and intense competition. 

The main shareholders began receiving offers from large food conglomerates and eventually sold the business when the offer was high enough.

Brooke Bond Oxo bought the business first, who later sold it to Unifoods (now Unilever Foods) in the 1970s.

Modern day Mrs H.S Balls

In 2012, Unilever sold Mrs Balls to Tiger Brands for R475 million, excluding inventories. In 2011, the product generated a turnover of R189 million.

Today, Mrs. Ball’s chutney continues to be made locally and is exported to the UK, Germany, New Zealand, Australia and more. 

Mrs. Ball’s chutney range has expanded beyond Original Mild to include Hot, Extra Hot, Peach, Tomato, Chilli, Light–Hot Spicy, and Light–Mild Fruity, catering to various tastes and dietary needs.

Mrs Ball’s owes its success not only to its original taste but also to sharp marketing.

The brand admittedly targets families and proudly South African consumers. This is seen through campaigns especially resonant with expats, and collaborations with local brands like Simba Chips.

Despite the brand’s success under large corporations, Desmond Ball, Amelia’s great-grandson, still lives near Fish Hoek and has been determined to keep the family tradition alive, as they have been making chutney for five generations.

Desmond dug up the old family recipe from his days working in the factory and started manufacturing on a small scale after he heard whispers that the recipe has changed. 

He has named his chutney Amelia’s Chutney in honour of his great-grandmother. He puts her picture on his bottle so people can see she was a real person, and sells his chutney at local markets in Tokai and Fish Hoek.

Mrs H.S. Ball’s Chutney