The fascinating history of Mrs Balls' chutney: A South African favourite

The legacy behind Mrs Ball’s famous and marketing-leading Chutney is not as straightforward as one may think.

It is commonly believed to have been first produced by Sarah Ball in Paarl, South Africa, and later refined as a recipe by her daughter, Amelia.

However, the Journal of Marketing has it that the original recipe chutney has a long history that began in Canada and is actually not an inspiration devised by Mrs Balls, but rather started when Captain Adkins and his wife set sail for Australia.

“In 1852 their ship sank off the coast of South Africa and the couple decided to settle there, rather than risking the rest of their planned journey,” it stated.

The journal noted that, having managed to salvage some of their belongings, including Mrs Adkins’ mother’s chutney recipe, they moved to King Williamstown.

“In 1865, they became the proud parents of a little girl they named Amelia Alice Elizabeth Adkins. When Amelia grew up, she married a Mr HS Ball and moved to Johannesburg with her husband.”

IOL has previously reported that the chutney was initially named “Mrs Henry Adkins Senior, Colonial Chutney Manufacturer, Fort Jackson, Cape Colony”.

Which is a different history as to how the chutney got its name – and the source of a recipe that remains secret to this day.

It’s Amelia, by then Mrs Ball, who started making the chutney for family and friends, turning it into a business and selling an average of 24 bottles a day by 1918, according to the Journal of Marketing. The official Mrs Balls’ website, however, says that a “Woodstock factory opened in 1917 to meet escalating demand”.

The Jewish Report has a different take on the iconic chutney’s history, stating that its “success began in Cape Town thanks to Jewish businessman Fred Metter,” who build the factory.

“The story is that Amelia Ball [nee Adkins] came to South Africa from Canada and started making the condiment on primus stoves in her home. Her husband was Herbert Saddleton, and women would take their husband’s initials in those days, so she marketed it as Mrs H.S. Balls Chutney.

“She sold it at church bazaars as she really needed the income,” the publication quotes his granddaughter, Shelley Garb, as saying.

Currently, the popular brand is owned by Tiger Brands, which acquired it in 2013.

The brand continues to dominate the local market, with reports indicating it holds roughly 70% of market share by volume and 74% by value. Mrs Ball’s has also expanded internationally, with exports reaching countries including the United Kingdom, Germany, New Zealand, and Australia.

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