Mattoni 1873

Mattoni 1873 is a Czech beverage company headquartered in Karlovy Vary and built around the historic Mattoni mineral-water brand. Its origins lie in the spa region of western Bohemia, where Heinrich Mattoni began bottling locally available mineral water in 1867. In 1873 he took over mineral-water production in Kyselka and developed the operation into a modern bottling and distribution business serving spa visitors and customers beyond the region. The Mattoni name became associated with the commercial development of mineral water as a packaged consumer product rather than merely a treatment consumed at the source. The company expanded during the late nineteenth century by investing in bottling capacity and distribution infrastructure. By the 1880s, Mattoni was recognized in several European markets, and in 1910 the business reportedly exported ten million bottles. This international orientation became a defining part of the brand’s heritage: its identity combines the natural-mineral credentials of the Karlovy Vary area with industrial-scale bottling, logistics, and export distribution. The business was known as Karlovarské minerální vody until 2019. Since 1994 it has belonged to the Italian Pasquale business family. In its contemporary form, Mattoni 1873 is more than a single-water label. It operates as a beverage platform with a broad portfolio of mineral waters, flavoured waters, soft drinks, and related products. By 2023, the portfolio included 56 drink and snack brands. Alongside Mattoni, the company’s brands include Aquila, Magnesia, Poděbradka, Dobrá voda, and Hanácká kyselka in the Czech and regional markets. Its international portfolio also includes Szentkirályi and Theodora in Hungary, Waldquelle in Austria, and Knjaz Miloš in Serbia. Since 2018, Mattoni 1873 has held an exclusive PepsiCo production and distribution licence in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Austria, Serbia, and Montenegro. That arrangement broadened the company from a mineral-water specialist into a major regional non-alcoholic-beverage bottler and distributor. The company is described in reference material as the largest soft-drink producer in Central Europe. Its business therefore combines owned and managed water brands with licensed international soft drinks, regional production assets, and cross-border distribution. The Mattoni brand is positioned around natural mineral water, refreshment, wellness associations, and a long-established Czech origin. Its historical connection with Kyselka and Karlovy Vary supports a premium heritage narrative, while the wider corporate portfolio gives Mattoni 1873 reach across mainstream and premium beverage segments. The company remains active in Central and Southeastern Europe, with its historic brand functioning as the best-known expression of a much broader beverage house.

The commercial history of Mattoni 1873 is rooted in the mineral springs of western Bohemia. Heinrich Mattoni, an Italian-Czech entrepreneur from Karlovy Vary, began bottling mineral water from the region in 1867. Six years later, in 1873, he assumed control of mineral-water production in Kyselka, a small spa settlement in the Karlovy Vary area. He developed the site with a modern bottling plant and distribution arrangements designed to serve both visitors to the spa and customers farther afield. This transformation helped turn a locally sourced spa product into a recognizable packaged-water brand. During the 1880s, Mattoni was already regarded as one of the better-known mineral waters in Europe. The business continued to build an export presence, and by 1910 it reportedly shipped ten million bottles to foreign markets. The scale of those exports illustrates the early importance of transportation, packaging, and commercial distribution to the brand’s development. The company’s later corporate history included a change in identity. It operated for many years under the name Karlovarské minerální vody, before adopting Mattoni 1873 in 2019. Since 1994, ownership has been associated with the Italian Pasquale business family. Under this ownership, the company developed from a Czech mineral-water producer into a broader regional beverage organization. Its portfolio now extends beyond the Mattoni label. Czech and regional brands include Aquila, Magnesia, Poděbradka, Dobrá voda, and Hanácká kyselka. The company also manages or markets mineral-water brands in other countries, including Szentkirályi and Theodora in Hungary, Waldquelle in Austria, and Knjaz Miloš in Serbia. By 2023, the company reported or was described as having a portfolio of 56 beverage and snack brands. A significant strategic development came in 2018, when Mattoni 1873 obtained an exclusive licence to produce and distribute PepsiCo beverages in six markets: the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Austria, Serbia, and Montenegro. This arrangement added internationally recognized soft-drink products to a business whose historical foundation was mineral water. It also reinforced the company’s position as a major bottler and distributor in Central Europe. Today, Mattoni 1873 combines heritage mineral-water brands, regional beverage businesses, and licensed soft drinks. Its headquarters remain in Karlovy Vary, preserving a close association with the spa and mineral-water traditions from which the original Mattoni business emerged.

1. 2023Portfolio reaches 56 drink and snack brands

   Reference material described Mattoni 1873 as selling 56 brands across drinks and snacks, reflecting its evolution into a diversified beverage house.

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2. 2019Corporate name changes to Mattoni 1873

   The company, previously known as Karlovarské minerální vody, adopted the name Mattoni 1873.

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3. 2018PepsiCo licensing agreement begins

   Mattoni 1873 obtained an exclusive licence to produce and distribute PepsiCo beverages in six Central and Southeastern European markets.

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4. 1994The Pasquale family becomes associated with the company

   The company became associated with the Italian Pasquale business family, which has owned the business since 1994 according to the reference material.

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5. 1910Exports reach ten million bottles

   The business reportedly exported ten million bottles to international markets, demonstrating the scale of its early distribution network.

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6. 1880The Mattoni brand gains European recognition

   During the 1880s, the Mattoni mineral-water brand became one of the better-known bottled waters in Europe.

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7. 1873Mattoni takes over production at Kyselka

   Mattoni assumed control of mineral-water production in Kyselka and began expanding the operation with modern bottling and distribution infrastructure.

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8. 1867Heinrich Mattoni begins bottling regional mineral water

   Heinrich Mattoni began bottling mineral water in the Karlovy Vary region, establishing the commercial foundation of the later Mattoni business.

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A heritage-led Czech mineral-water and regional beverage platform emphasizing natural mineral sources, refreshment, wellness associations, and long-standing Central European provenance.

• MattoniMineral water1873

  The company’s historic flagship mineral-water brand, originating in the Kyselka and Karlovy Vary spa region. Mattoni is associated with natural mineral water, sparkling refreshment, and a long-established Czech heritage. The line forms the principal consumer expression of the Mattoni 1873 business.

• Mattoni flavoured watersFlavoured water

  Flavoured-water extensions of the Mattoni brand broaden the traditional mineral-water proposition toward everyday refreshment. Specific variants and launch dates are not identified in the supplied reference material.

• AquilaBottled water

  Aquila is one of the Czech and regional bottled-water brands in the Mattoni 1873 portfolio. The supplied material identifies it as part of the company’s multi-brand beverage range but does not provide further product-level details.

• MagnesiaMineral water

  Magnesia is a mineral-water brand included in Mattoni 1873’s Czech portfolio. The reference material does not specify its complete product range, positioning, or individual launch dates.

• PoděbradkaMineral water

  Poděbradka is a regional mineral-water brand marketed within the company’s broader Czech and Central European beverage portfolio.

• Dobrá vodaBottled water

  Dobrá voda is part of Mattoni 1873’s portfolio of Czech bottled-water brands. Available reference material confirms the brand relationship but does not document detailed variants or positioning.

• Hanácká kyselkaMineral water

  Hanácká kyselka is a mineral-water brand included among the company’s Czech and regional offerings. Specific product history and launch information are not provided in the supplied sources.

• SzentkirályiMineral water

  Szentkirályi is a Hungarian mineral-water brand in the wider Mattoni 1873 portfolio, contributing to the company’s cross-border presence in Central Europe.

• TheodoraMineral water

  Theodora is a Hungarian mineral-water brand identified as part of Mattoni 1873’s international brand portfolio.

• WaldquelleMineral water

  Waldquelle is an Austrian mineral-water brand included in the company’s regional portfolio.

• Knjaz MilošMineral water

  Knjaz Miloš is a Serbian mineral-water brand associated with Mattoni 1873’s Southeast European operations.

• PepsiCo beveragesSoft drinks2018

  Through an exclusive licence beginning in 2018, Mattoni 1873 produces and distributes PepsiCo beverages in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Austria, Serbia, and Montenegro. The supplied sources do not specify the individual PepsiCo brands covered by the licence.

• 2019Rebranding from Karlovarské minerální vody to Mattoni 1873Strategy

  The business had long operated under the corporate name Karlovarské minerální vody while its best-known consumer brand was Mattoni.

  What changed. The company adopted Mattoni 1873 as its corporate name, linking the group more directly to its historic flagship brand and founding date.

  Aftermath. The change reinforced a unified heritage identity for the company and its expanding portfolio of regional beverage brands.

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• 2018Expansion into licensed PepsiCo beverage production and distributionStrategy

  Mattoni 1873 had historically been identified primarily with mineral water but was developing a broader regional beverage platform.

  What changed. The company obtained an exclusive licence to produce and distribute PepsiCo beverages in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Austria, Serbia, and Montenegro.

  Aftermath. The agreement expanded Mattoni 1873’s operating scope into international soft-drink bottling and distribution and supported its position as a major Central European beverage producer.

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• 2023Mattoni 1873 expanded its portfolio to 56 beverage and snack brands

  Reference material described the company as selling 56 drink and snack brands by 2023, including Mattoni, Aquila, Magnesia, Poděbradka, Dobrá voda, Hanácká kyselka, and several international mineral-water labels.

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• 2018Mattoni 1873 continued its PepsiCo licensing operations across six European markets

  The company began holding an exclusive licence to produce and distribute PepsiCo beverages in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Austria, Serbia, and Montenegro, widening its role beyond mineral water.

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1. Mattoni 1873
2. Mattoni official website