Mrs Ball's chutney: The charming true story has never fully been told, until now
'Mrs Ball was selling chutney to subsist. She approached my grandfather, and he took a chance,' says Shelley Garb, granddaughter of Fred Metter, unsung hero in the founding of the adored brand.
"Nobody eats any other kind of chutney in South Africa."
- Lester Kiewit, CapeTalk
Mrs H.S. Ball’s Chutney – found in homes across South Africa for generations – has stronger links to Cape Town than the history books show.
The story of how Mrs Ball's grew from being made at home for church bazaars to what we know today has been documented repeatedly. Some details have been added to romanticise the story while others have been omitted altogether.
The 'missing link' in the story is that of Fred Metter, who helped Mrs Ball commercialise her product.
Metter helped the Balls set up a factory in Retreat, where they would start making huge volumes of the world-famous-in-South Africa chutney.
Lester Kiewit – the second-best thing from Retreat - spoke with (this interview happened on 9 October 2020) Shelley Garb, Metter's granddaughter.
He asked her about her quest to get her grandfather credited for his vital role in delighting South Africans over many years.
"Mrs Ball was selling the chutney for subsistence… it was popular… My grandfather was a manufacturer’s representative… They approached him, and he took a chance with it… I never met Mrs Ball… she lived to be 97."
- Shelley Garb, granddaughter of Fred Metter
"My grandfather chose the [octagonal] design of the bottle and the label. He insisted on it always being in glass. He was approached to put it in plastic and all the years, he steadfastly refused… When Brooke Bond Oxo bought the factory, they put it in plastic. Sales plummeted and they put it back into glass... The recipe hasn’t changed… It’s the same."
- Shelley Garb, granddaughter of Fred Metter
"We’re very proud! We grew up with that brand. We played on the boxes in the factory. The smell of vinegar and fruit was pungent, as children, we didn’t enjoy that. We love that it’s now international. We will eat no other chutney!"
- Shelley Garb, granddaughter of Fred Metter
"In the 1970s, they had to sell… They got a fair price… My grandfather’s share was R250 000 – it was a lot."
- Shelley Garb, granddaughter of Fred Metter
Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.