Reuben and Rose Mattus
Encyclopedia
Reuben and Rose Mattus were Polish American
entrepreneur
s who founded the Häagen-Dazs
ice cream
business.
Rose Mattus (23 November 1916 – 28 November 2006) was born as Rose Vesel into a tailoring family who made theatrical costumes in Manchester
. Her Jewish parents had come from Poland
. They briefly moved to Belfast
with a theatre company and left for New York in 1921 when Rose was five years old.
Reuben Mattus (1912 – 1994) was born in Poland of Jewish parents and he arrived with his widowed mother, Lea, in New York at about the same time as Rose Vesel.
They met in a youth club in Brownsville
, Brooklyn
, New York
and married in 1936. Rose joined Reuben in his family's business selling ices from a horse-drawn wagon in the Bronx. The business grew throughout the next 40 years and then, in 1959, Reuben decided to form a new ice cream company. He invented the name 'Häagen-Dazs' to evoke an image of Danish pasture and even put a map of Denmark on the carton. (There is no umlaut
in Danish
.) Rose said in her autobiography The Emperor of Ice Cream (2004), that Denmark was used in tribute to the nation's decent treatment of its Jews
during the Second World War.
The ice cream was made using butterfat
and real ingredients for the flavorings. It launched in 1961 in contrast with competing brands which used cheap, often artificial ingredients. Rose marketed the product and Reuben developed the flavors. Part of Rose's strategy was to market the brand to university students, and she made certain that ice cream parlours near New York University
in Greenwich Village
carried Häagen-Dazs. The brand, which grew only slowly through the 1960s, was at first distributed nationally by Greyhound Bus deliveries to college towns.
The business was sold to the Pillsbury Company in 1983 for $70 million. Reuben and Rose were kept on as consultants after the sale until Pillsbury was bought by Grand Metropolitan
. After this, the Mattuses launched the Mattus Ice Cream Company, this time specializing in low-fat products. Pillsbury and Häagen-Dazs are now owned by General Mills
.
They had two daughters: Doris Hurley and Natalie Salmore, five grandchildren and, to date, ten great-grandchildren.
Rose died in Westwood
, New Jersey
on 28 November 2006.
Polish American
A Polish American , is a citizen of the United States of Polish descent. There are an estimated 10 million Polish Americans, representing about 3.2% of the population of the United States...
entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
s who founded the Häagen-Dazs
Häagen-Dazs
Häagen-Dazs is a brand of ice cream, established by Jewish-Polish immigrants Reuben and Rose Mattus in the Bronx, New York, in 1961. Starting with only three flavors: vanilla, chocolate, and coffee, the company opened its first retail store in Brooklyn, New York, on November 15, 1976...
ice cream
Ice cream
Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...
business.
Rose Mattus (23 November 1916 – 28 November 2006) was born as Rose Vesel into a tailoring family who made theatrical costumes in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. Her Jewish parents had come from Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. They briefly moved to Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
with a theatre company and left for New York in 1921 when Rose was five years old.
Reuben Mattus (1912 – 1994) was born in Poland of Jewish parents and he arrived with his widowed mother, Lea, in New York at about the same time as Rose Vesel.
They met in a youth club in Brownsville
Brownsville, Brooklyn
Brownsville is a residential neighborhood located in eastern Brooklyn, New York City.The total land area is one square mile, and the ZIP code for the neighborhood is 11212....
, Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and married in 1936. Rose joined Reuben in his family's business selling ices from a horse-drawn wagon in the Bronx. The business grew throughout the next 40 years and then, in 1959, Reuben decided to form a new ice cream company. He invented the name 'Häagen-Dazs' to evoke an image of Danish pasture and even put a map of Denmark on the carton. (There is no umlaut
Umlaut (diacritic)
The diaeresis and the umlaut are diacritics that consist of two dots placed over a letter, most commonly a vowel. When that letter is an i or a j, the diacritic replaces the tittle: ï....
in Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
.) Rose said in her autobiography The Emperor of Ice Cream (2004), that Denmark was used in tribute to the nation's decent treatment of its Jews
Rescue of the Danish Jews
The rescue of the Danish Jews occurred during Nazi Germany's occupation of Denmark during World War II. On October 1st 1943 Nazi leader Adolf Hitler ordered Danish Jews to be arrested and deported...
during the Second World War.
The ice cream was made using butterfat
Butterfat
Butterfat or milkfat is the fatty portion of milk. Milk and cream are often sold according to the amount of butterfat they contain.- Composition :The fatty acids of butterfat are typically composed as follows :...
and real ingredients for the flavorings. It launched in 1961 in contrast with competing brands which used cheap, often artificial ingredients. Rose marketed the product and Reuben developed the flavors. Part of Rose's strategy was to market the brand to university students, and she made certain that ice cream parlours near New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
in Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
carried Häagen-Dazs. The brand, which grew only slowly through the 1960s, was at first distributed nationally by Greyhound Bus deliveries to college towns.
The business was sold to the Pillsbury Company in 1983 for $70 million. Reuben and Rose were kept on as consultants after the sale until Pillsbury was bought by Grand Metropolitan
Grand Metropolitan
Grand Metropolitan plc is a former United Kingdom-based company operating hotels, holiday centres, entertainment centres, public houses and casinos...
. After this, the Mattuses launched the Mattus Ice Cream Company, this time specializing in low-fat products. Pillsbury and Häagen-Dazs are now owned by General Mills
General Mills
General Mills, Inc. is an American Fortune 500 corporation, primarily concerned with food products, which is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The company markets many well-known brands, such as Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Colombo, Totinos, Jeno's, Pillsbury, Green...
.
They had two daughters: Doris Hurley and Natalie Salmore, five grandchildren and, to date, ten great-grandchildren.
Rose died in Westwood
Westwood, New Jersey
Westwood is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 10,908....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
on 28 November 2006.
External links
- Hevesi, Dennis. "Rose Mattus, 90, Co-Creator of Häagen-Dazs Ice Cream, Dies", The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, 1 December 2006.