Matthaes Verlag is a German publishing house based in Stuttgart that specializes in trade media for the hospitality, hotel, and bakery industries, as well as premium culinary books. The company operates today as a subsidiary of the dfv Mediengruppe (Deutscher Fachverlag), which acquired a majority stake in 2004. [1]
Design and History
The Matthaes Verlag was founded in 1905 by Hugo Matthaes, who led the company until 1931. [2] The publisher remained in the hands of the Matthaes family until April 2004, when the Deutscher Fachverlag acquired a majority interest. Hugo Matthaes continued as managing director after the acquisition, alongside Dr. Clemens Knoll. [1]
In 2020, the dfv Mediengruppe announced that the Matthaes Verlag would relocate from Stuttgart to Frankfurt am Main, where it would be integrated into the parent organization’s structure. The announcement noted that the Stuttgart publisher looked back on a tradition of more than one hundred years. [3]
The publisher’s trade publications, including the Allgemeine Hotel- und Gaststätten-Zeitung (AHGZ), have their own distinct mastheads and branding. In 2006, the AHGZ underwent a name change, with the abbreviation reinterpreted from “Allgemeine Hotel- und Gaststätten-Zeitung” to “Allgemeine Hotel- und Gastronomie-Zeitung,” accompanied by a relaunch described as “aktuell, kompetent, praxisnah” (current, competent, practical). [4]
Meaning and Symbolism
The publisher’s public profile has centered on its editorial content and book program rather than on a distinctive corporate emblem. In 2012, the Matthaes Verlag was named “Best Publisher of the Year” at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, with the jury citing the consistent high quality of its culinary publications. [5]
Following the integration into the dfv Mediengruppe, the Matthaes book program was later licensed as an imprint under the DK Verlag (Dorling Kindersley) in Germany, with the publisher described as a specialist for premium culinary books. [6]
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