In an extract from a past interview, Fred recalls “When we first arrived in 1950, Australian food was a real oddity. You would go to a restaurant, it would look great, clean and tables with white tablecloths but all that was on the menu would be meat pies and sausage rolls”. But this all began to change during the 1950s and there was a strong fledgling market for continental foods by 1957 when Fred established the business.
Like many success stories, Fred started F Mayer Imports from his garage at his home in Bondi, where the imports were initially housed. Then, when he started importing cheeses and more perishable goods, he rented cool rooms in Ultimo. Over time, Fred (later accompanied by his sons) built the business up and relocated to larger warehouses in Rosebery, followed by Alexandria and then Mascot. Today, Mayers spans over two large warehouses in Banksmeadow, Sydney and Altona North in Melbourne.