MasterFoods was created by Henry Lewis in Australia in 1945. Originally launched as "Henry Lewis & Company" in 1926,^[6] they began by importing specialty international foods and spices such as paprika, bay leaves and canned asparagus.^[8] The business was renamed to "Henry Lewis & Sons"^[6] and later Masterfoods (also seen as MASTERFOODS, MasterFoods and Master Foods)^[6][9] on 20 July 1945 and began manufacturing their own products in the 1950s.^[8]

Henry Lewis passed the business onto his sons John (born 1920), Victor (born 1923) and David (born 1929) all of whom worked in the business.^[6] John as chairman and managing director, Victor as production director and David as research director.^[10] Victor studied food technology in the United States of America, returning in 1949, becoming one of Australia's first food technologists.^[6] The company began manufacturing foods in the 1950s, with the first product being bread and butter cucumbers. During WWII when importation was restricted the company acted as a distributor for Australian and New Zealand brands.^[6]

The brand was sold to Mars Inc. in 1967, and Mars Food Australia was created as a part of the purchase.^[1] At the time of sale, Masterfoods had over 150 products and were distributing to 40 countries, 25 percent of turnover was imported goods.^[9]

• List of brand name condiments
• List of spreads
• List of Australian herbs and spices