The History of Mattes Seafood
The Mattes name has become synonymous with fresh seafood. John Joseph (J.J.) Mattes went door to door in an ice truck in 1945. That same year, Frank L. Mattes Sr. came out of the Air Force and started the wholesale business, selling fresh catch to restaurants up and down Route 40 from Frank’s Seafood. His son, Frank L. Mattes, Jr., expanded into Harford County, where he took orders and worked the Baltimore Fish market. Foreseeing his two young sons joining the business, he changed the name to Mattes and Sons Reliable Seafood . As a youngster Frank J. Mattes Sr. delivered fish around the neighborhood on his tricycle and took orders from teachers at school. That particular drive , Frank’s ingenuity and charismatic personality helped the business grow exponentially. His innovative ideas to get the best seafood at the best price led Mattes Seafood to cultivate fish vendors all over the world, and allowed us to open the Harford County facility in 2003, where we prepare, pack and ship fresh fish every day of the week.
