Bean Blog

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What Comes to Mind When You Hear “Match Maker”?

For most people, it’s probably not a factory. It’s not paper, printing presses, or wooden splints. More likely, they picture introducing two people, helping them find a connection, or maybe even playing cupid.

So, when I tell people that I’m a Match Maker, I usually get a puzzled look. “Really? How long have you been doing that?” Then comes the surprise, “I make matches.” Not the dating kind, the little paper safety matches that have been quietly lighting campfires, candles, fireplaces, birthday cakes, grills, and celebrations for generations.

In a world filled with smartphones, digital advertising, and disposable trends, most people don’t realize that matches are still very much a part of everyday life. They sit beside restaurant cash registers, rest in hotel lobbies, ride home in pockets and purses, and find their way onto coffee tables and mantels. Long after a meal is finished or a trip is over, a matchbook often remains. That’s because a matchbook is more than a way to create a flame; it’s a memory.

For nearly a century D.D. Bean & Sons has been creating products that connect people to moments. A custom matchbook handed out at a wedding becomes a keepsake. A restaurant matchbook reminds someone of a special night out. A branded matchbook tucked into a drawer can instantly bring back memories years later.

Every time a match is struck, there’s a brief spark. But often, that spark ignites something more, a memory of a place, a celebration, a family gathering, or a meaningful moment shared with others.

In many ways, that’s what makes the title “Match Maker” so fitting. We don’t just manufacture matches. We help create connections between people and experiences. We help businesses leave a lasting impression. We help preserve memories in a small, simple booklet that fits in the palm of your hand. And while the first thing that comes to mind when someone hears “Match Maker” may not be little paper safety matches, perhaps it should be. Because for generations, these tiny sparks have been bringing people together, marking life’s special occasions, and lighting the way for stories worth remembering.

It takes a team of dedicated craftsmen, innovators, operators, designers, and problem-solvers who take pride in their work. People who understand that quality matters. People who appreciate that even the smallest product can carry tremendous meaning. That’s what a Match Maker does. That’s what we do at D.D. Bean.

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The Business-Strategy Choice

A textbook example of survival through “last-man-standing” efficiency. While we began by picking up the pieces of a crumbling industry, we eventually outlasted every major competitor in the United States.  

A few key takeaways from what we have learned from the market to reach our current position: 

  • Acquiring Used Wisdom: In 1938, the company literally built itself using used equipment purchased from other match companies. We didn’t reinvent the wheel; we optimized the tools that our competitors were discarding. 
  • Out-Efficiency the Giants: During the 1950s, we competed against massive industry leaders like Diamond Match and Lion Match. While those giants focused on broad dominance, D.D. Bean focused on becoming the most efficient producer of book matches specifically, a strategy that eventually allowed us to acquire our remaining rivals like Atlas Match and Eddy Match. 
  • Adapting to the “Lighter” Threat: As disposable lighters captured 95% of the market by the end of the 20th century, D.D. Bean observed the failure of other factories and pivoted. We transitioned from seeing matches as a pure commodity to marketing them as “palm-sized billboards” tactile, sustainable, and high-impression advertising tools. 
  • Consolidation for Survival: The 2016 acquisition of Atlas Match and the subsequent 2018 move to consolidate all manufacturing in New Hampshire was a direct response to the industry’s decline. We learned that the only way to keep the American match industry alive was to merge the last two remaining factories into a single, highly specialized operation.  

Today, we are the sole remaining manufacturer of paper matchbooks in the United States and the largest producer of them in the world.  

We stayed relevant by shifting from a utility-first mindset (selling a light or “being the cheapest ignition source on the market”) to a brand-experience mindset (selling a connection). This pivot was necessary as disposable lighters captured 95% of the market, turning matches from a necessity into a niche. Through our Atlas Match subsidiary, we act as a “promotional toolkit” provider, creating tangible advertising items like full-color postcards and matchbooks that cut through digital clutter for modern marketing campaigns. Historically, you had to order 25,000+ matchbooks. Now, we’ve optimized our production line to allow agencies to run test campaigns for just 50 books (small quantity programs), making it a low-risk “add-on” for a brand’s marketing budget. 

 

From Commodity to “Small Batch” Collectible: We transitioned away from just producing “resale” matches (cheap matches for convenience stores) toward high-quality, customized runs. A modern customer might order 50 books with custom designs and intricate art rather than millions of generic ones. By doing this, we’ve successfully conveyed to marketing directors that a matchbook isn’t a “fire starter” it’s a ”high-frequency impression device” that stays in a customer’s pocket for weeks. There is something about the “ritual of striking a match” as something real and tactile in an increasingly digital world. Unlike digital ads that are scrolled past in milliseconds, a matchbook requires physical interaction and can provide 20 to 30 impressions every time a user reaches for a light. 

 

While we still use equipment dating back to the last century—which we affectionately call our “Time Machines”, we are maintaining a continuous improvement mindset. This includes sustaining a veteran workforce (some with over 40 years of experience) while automating newer processes to remain the most efficient producer globally.  We are deploying a new strategy to meet the market, by partnering with Xerox.  This allows us to focus on the small high-end match books, coasters and printed mailers that can be designed and ordered by customers on their own schedules. 

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From Commodity to Collectible: Why the World is shifting to “Small Batch” Matches

  If you walked into a grocery store or gas station thirty years ago, you likely grabbed a book of generic matches without a second thought. They were a utility, simple, mass-produced tool to light a stove, a candle, or a cigarette. They were everywhere, produced in the billions, and often discarded just as quickly.

But today, if you look at matchbooks on the counters of trendy restaurants, boutique hotels, or candle shops, you’ll notice something different. They aren’t just tools anymore. They are art. They are keepsakes.

At D.D. Bean and Atlas Match, we have had a front-row seat to one of the most interesting shifts in American manufacturing: the move from high-volume commodity matches to high-impact promotional advertising.

The Era of “Big Volume”

For decades, the match industry was a numbers game. As the leading manufacturer in North America, D.D. Bean’s legacy was built on efficiency. We produced resale matches by the truckload, the kind you’d buy for pennies. The goal was simple: provide a light to as many people as possible being the most affordable ignition on the market.

However, as disposable lighters became cheaper and smoking rates declined, the demand for “commodity” matches dropped. But interestingly, the demand for matches didn’t disappear, it just evolved.

The Rise of the “Palm-Sized Billboard”

While the sheer volume of matches produced globally has dipped since the 1970s, the value of the individual matchbook has skyrocketed.

Modern brands have realized that in a digital world—where ads are scrolled past in milliseconds—a matchbook offers something rare: tactile engagement.

 * It’s a Souvenir: Customers take them home as a memento of a great meal or a fun event.

 * It’s Persistent: A matchbook sits on a coffee table or a mantle for months, offering 20 to 30 “impressions” (views) every time it’s used.

 * It’s Sustainable: Unlike plastic lighters that end up in landfills, paper matches are biodegradable and renewable.

Why Smaller is Bigger

This shift has moved the industry toward smaller, highly customized runs.

Instead of ordering 10 million generic books, a modern customer might order 2,500 books with gold foil stamping and intricate artwork. They aren’t buying a light; they are buying brand experience.

This is exactly why the union of D.D. Bean and Atlas Match is so powerful. We combined D.D. Bean’s legendary manufacturing capacity (the ability to make matches efficiently right here in the USA) with Atlas Match’s history of promotional creativity.

The Spark Hasn’t Gone Out—It’s Just Gotten Brighter

We are no longer just a factory that churns out a utility item. We are a partner to marketing agencies, wedding planners, hospitality groups, and candle makers.

The shift to promotional advertising proves that people still love fire. They love the ritual of striking a match. And most importantly, they love a brand that cares enough to put their name on something real.

Ready to light up your brand?

Whether you need a small run for a local event or a large run for a national franchise, we are the last major guardian of this American tradition.

 

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Walking the Talk: Living our values at D.D. Bean Atlas Match

You can’t survive in the match industry without having deeply held values.  Not only do we have a long-standing commitment to the industry and matches as the last American producer, but we have 6-core values we live by:

  • Communication
  • Innovation
  • Adaptability
  • Teamwork
  • Dependability
  • Positivity

It is no accident that the same core values that have helped
us overcome the challenges of the last 20-years are the values that have
sustained us during the coronavirus crisis. 
By conducting ourselves daily -D.D. Bean and Atlas Match – in accordance
with our core-values have nurtured habits and practices that have allowed us to
carry on in the face of adversity. 
Nobody saw the pandemic coming.  We
are grateful that we had some skills to help us cope.

Adaptability

As the coronavirus unfolded, we adapted.  It meant a lot of changes.  And fast. 
But we are open minded and agile. 
We adapted to the circumstances as best we could. We are still
adapting.  We are so proud of how willing
and able our employees have been to the adaptations. 

  • Colorpress 1000i
    Digital printing of matches
  • Xerox Logo

Innovation

Match making is an old art. 
And much of our equipment is old. 
In fact, we still use a tray former that dates back to the last
century!  But we have innovated where it
counts.  The company, its leaders,
mechanics, and operators live by a continuous improvement mindset.  The curiosity endemic to our work force
delivers innovative solutions time and time again.  We may be an old American industry, but we
are never stagnant.

Today, we are deploying a new digital transformation strategy
to help us be a better supplier to the matchbook, box match, and coaster
market.  We are partnering with Xerox in a novel way to provide faster, consistent, high quality match and coaster products to America.  We want to
make sure anyone that needs a match, can get a match. On their terms.  Designed and ordered by them, on their schedule.  Not on our terms.  We want to meet the market where it is.  

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The D.D. Bean Time Machine

Time Machine

I recently heard an interview with the founder of Chobani, Hamdi Ulukaya, and I loved the way he described the upstate New York factory as a time machine.  It was the dedicated employees and the traditional equipment that drew him in and triggered him to purchase and revive the yogurt business.

When we give tours at D.D. Bean to vendors and match collectors and prospective employees they express the same sentiment.  A Time Machine.  We are not insulted when people say this.  We are proud.  Because it means we are true stewards of our craft.  It means we have stitched together the important match making traditions with modern technologies.

Match Strips at D.D. Bean
Match Strips

Our plant represents generations of hard work and clever engineering.  Today, we put all that to good use as the only American match maker.  It may not be every day that Americans think about matches.  It may be only the rare occasion when you can’t find your lighter, or you are camping and need to start the fire.  It could be when you want a nifty and eco-friendly ignition for your candles or incense.  Maybe you prefer a matchstick when lighting your cigar or pipe or rolled tobacco.  Whatever your reason for grabbing the matchbook or box of matches, you expect them to be there.  And that is our goal.  To remain America’s Match Company for this generation and the next. 

D.D. Bean Plant Jaffrey, NH
D.D. Bean Plant

This time machine will be here dependably making matches the traditional way for years and years and years.  For all Americans.

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How to Buy Advertising in a Recession

restaurant matchbook covers

Turning up the Heat with Matchbook Advertising

So your ad budget has been cut.  The pandemic has shifted dollars from ad spend to necessary operational or administrative costs.  Maybe you are so unsure of how the recovery is going to unfold, so you are holding onto your cash.  Or your boss has simply said “No” spending.

In times so financial difficulty, advertising budgets are often the first cut.  According to a June 16, 2020, Wall Street Journal article “Ad Spending in U.S. Forecast to Dive 13%” the advertising industry is going to take a real hit.  So if you have cut your ad budget, you are not alone.  National and local brands are cutting back.  Even sole proprietors are watching the purse strings very carefully. 

The PPP (Paychex Protection Program) funds don’t allow for any advertising expense forgiveness.  Even though it is crucial to your restaurant’s health to get the word out that you are now open for business (with whatever your state restrictions are), the forgivable PPP funds can’t be used for that.

What are your options for promoting your business in a post-covid environment?  How can you maximize your spend to reach the most people?  What is the most affordable advertising?

  • Digital advertising

Many business owners are focusing on digital advertising.  There is an endless range of price points for buying this type of advertising.  Most common is the ‘per click’.  So you only pay if your ad gets a “hit”.

This type of advertising is critical for any business.  And if you don’t want to spend on digital because it seems complicated (i.e., Google Ads or Facebook Ads), there is always the free and easy to use Google-My-Business.  Also known as GMB.

If you haven’t set up your GMB page, do it now.  Like right now.  Stop reading this blog, and go to the setup page.  After you have started that process, come back and finish reading the blog, because now we get to the good stuff.

  • Print advertising

Say what?  Who is investing in print these days.  Well the answer is less than before.  Print advertising is falling at a rate of 26% (source:  WSJ, 6/16/2020, Ad Spending in U.S. Forecast to Dive 13%).  We are particularly sad about this because the iconic print industry helped to build this country.  But as a realist, we understand that technology and time move one.  Magazines and newspapers, publishers of all types of distributed printed content, are feeling the downward pressure.  To offset the decline, print publishers are augmenting with digital media.

  • Promotional Products

Saving the best for last.  This is where the rubber meets the road.  The creative designers who miss the tangible output of a well-crafted print ad campaign, can look to promotional products to get their creative fix.

Print on matchbooks and box matches.  Why not?  These palm-billboards are a tiny canvas for your logo or message.  And they can be created in thousands, so you can gleefully give one to each of our cherished customers. 

The cost?  Pennies each.  There are price points for every budget.  The flexibility to design is almost endless, and the lead time is a just 10-working days.  Best of all – the matches are made right here in the good old USA by D.D. Bean and Atlas Match.  Produced by… wait for it… real matchmakers.  Our staff has been mixing chemicals, punching match stems from recycled paperboard, and printing match covers since 1938.  So why not give it a try?  The risk is small for you and the upside is huge.

The answer to buying advertising in a recession starts with matchbooks.  Use this unique and American Made tiny-canvas to get your message across.  Once you have this give-away match at your restaurant or bar or other business, the consumer will do the rest.  They take the matches and from there it travels with them to be viewed by as many as 10-new people.  And that’s not all – the match holder, the one who accepted your generous gift of a matchbook, will see the image at least 20-times – repetition is the key to memorable advertising.

Spark Your Imagination:

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Please Pass the Clutter

Match Collection

Don’t throw away your match collection!  You might be caught up in the trendy “minimizing” movement.  And good for you.  It feels GREAT to clean up your space and clear out clutter.  But when it comes to mementos like matches – one of a kind little works of art – don’t toss them in the garbage.  This is one of those times when your trash is someone else’s treasure.

A phillumenist is someone who collects matches.  There are thousands of phillumenists who would love to have your cast-offs.  Amateur collectors might be interested in taking your restaurant matches too.  You never know which matchbook or box match triggers a sweet memory for someone. 

Matches are like memory anchors.  When you see the cover of a matchbook, naming a restaurant where you last had dinner with your spouse, it tugs at your memory and pulls out the dinner date.  Reliving the experience brings you joy. 

Maybe the match is a box of wooden sticks with the logo of your favorite barbeque place.  When you see that box you can almost taste the mesquite flavor of the smoked brisket.  And who was with you?  Was it your son or daughter?  Possibly an old friend?  Life is hard enough; we need our cherished memories.

So you could choose to make your match collection an accessory to your home , or you could continue with the minimizing trend and “when in doubt, throw it out”.  Maybe a mixture of both? 

But instead of tossing them into the garbage, reach out to the Rathkamp Matchcover Society.  They are the modern stewards of a century old match collecting tradition.  They may be interested in salvaging your collection, because they know that vintage matches are worth saving.

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The Engineering of Matches

One of the most important tools throughout history has been fire.  If we go back to the prehistoric times, fire was everything for people.  It gave them warmth, light, and cooked their food.  The only problem was that it was very difficult for them to create.  Most of use can’t imagine what life would have been like without being able to spark a flame easily. Before matches were created, people simply used flint and steel.  Thankfully, the match was first created – accidentally- in 1826.  In 1826, a pharmacist named John Walker saw a dry lump on a stick when he was working and mixing chemicals.  Once he tried to scrape it off, he created a flame.  He then created the modern match out of cardboard sticks.  He dipped the cardboard into his match head material and – poof – instant matches. These hand made matches started to sell very quickly and once they got more popular, he added wooden splints to his product line. And a touch of sulfur on the tips of the matches, for some added fuel and sensitivity.

            The demand for matches grew more and more, and soon factories were created.  This invention really took off. Two Quaker merchants named Francis May and William Bryant created a factory in England around 1843 where they made the lucifer match.  The end of the match was created from white phosphorous, which is highly toxic.  The factory workers suffered the most because of this – a condition called Phossy Jaw. It was a painful and disfiguring condition caused by the toxic chemical.  Working to create these matches was extremely dangerous and many of the the working women died.  These awful conditions led to the Great Match Strike of 1888, where all of the women walked out of the Bryant & May match factory.  For more information on other match factories, read Prelude to the American Match Industry Story.

The  Great Match Strike led to safer chemicals used in matches.  In 1862, red phosphorus was used to replace the white phosphorus, which could only be lit by striking the side of the match box.  The first true Safety Matches.  While this was an amazing new invention, people wanted to continue to strike a match anywhere possible.  This could only be done by using white phosphorus and for 50 more years, white phosphorus was used despite all of its health risks.  By 1910, the manufacturing of lucifer matches had come to an end and the stable red phosphorus is used today.  Through all of these engineering changes in the 1800’s, eventually the match came out right.  Red phosphorus is printed on the match box, and the match head lights the paper match or wooden stick. 

This simple invention is easy to overlook.  But he impact it had on world cultures is not. From the employment of thousands of workers to the lighting of indoor gas stoves for kitchen cooking, matches left their mark. In a big way.

The same general design principle of the first safety match creation in 1826 is still used today.  Since the 1800’s it has been easy to safely light a match wherever and whenever needed.  While there has not been any new engineering on the modern match, it is interesting to know its history.  If you want to read more about the market for matches today, read The American Match Industry – Part 1.

Some have tried to improve on the basic invention of the paper matchbook. In the 1970’s the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) targeting the industry for safety reforms. The result? Moving the matchbook striker from the front to the back of the book. The consensus at the time was that no additional engineering was possible given the simple basic design of the book match.

Over the decades of the rise of the American Match Factories (until their decline in 1977) each match chemist developed their own proprietary match head formula.  Top secret.  Still, the basic chemical ingredients were the very same used by Bryant & May.  When it comes to building fire, there are only so many options.  Mother nature teaches us that.

Eliza Smith is a guest blogger and a student intern. She is studying Business at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. She loves the beach at Sullivan’s Island, and was inspired to write this blog about the impact of plastic on the oceans and the willingness to make a better choice for the environment.

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Take the Match: Sustainability of Matches Over Lighters

matchbook ddbean

The choice between striking a match or using a disposable lighter does not seem like a difficult or worrying decision for consumers.  It is easy to use what is on hand at the time without really thinking about any of the consequences it has.  When consumers do not think about these decisions, it shows how these simple choices we make can have negative effects on the environment.  Sustainable matches are easily recyclable and biodegradable.

            Unlike lighters, matches are made from wood or paper, which is easily biodegradable.  Because they are biodegradable, they won’t contribute to the growing waste problem in the world.  The most common type of wood matches are made from aspen or white pine.  Each tree can create hundreds of thousands of match sticks.  For an interesting read on the history of matches, try Prelude to the American Match Industry Story.            

          Full sized lighters can burn up to an hour.  These lighters eventually run out and are turned to be thrown away. Once a lighter is disposed, it will exist in our environment forever.  After they are disposed, these lighters will be either thrown into landfills, on the streets, or swept into the ocean.  Once these lighters are disposed into the ocean, they will easily be mistaken by fish for birds to eat.  One type of bird that is strongly affected by pollution is the Laysan Albatross bird.  This bird catches fish by skimming the water with its beak.  While doing this, it picks up other debris and plastic from the ocean.  In this article about the Layman Albatross birds, there are images showing that they have consumed disposable lighters.  This will kill them quickly, once eaten.

While it isn’t a pressing decision whether to use a match or a lighter, it is an easy choice.  Matches are usually free and can be found in a lot of different restaurants and stores.  This makes them even more accessible than lighters for people.  Highly engaged community convenience stores like Wawa and Sheetz, give away the books for free to their loyal customers who may prefer a recyclable match to the plastic lighter. Take the match.

The sustainability of matches over lighters can tremendously improve how the environment is affected.  Matches are biodegradable and environmentally friendly, which makes them an easy choice over a lighter.  They are also produced in the USA, which means a smaller carbon footprint over imported disposable lighters. To learn more about the match industry and the last match factory in America read more blogs on the DDBean website.

Eliza Smith is a guest blogger and a student intern. She is studying Business at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. She loves the beach at Sullivan’s Island, and was inspired to write this blog about the impact of plastic on the oceans and the willingness to make a better choice for the environment.

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American Match Industry – Part 2

We learned in Part 1, that by 2019 all the match factories that once existed in America were closed or sold, resulting in what we have today – one match factory in Jaffrey, New Hampshire.  As the sole survivor and steward to the iconic industry, we will be writing the future as we go.  But don’t worry, we have a plan.

Imagine if you were to visit the factory to see the new match operations:

“A new era of match making has emerged.  By combining the technologies of the Bean plant and the Atlas plant, all the different variations of match making methods are on display-in operating form-every day.  Because the match factories were rolling up for many years – since 1973 – the legacy of all matchmaking equipment is now bolted down to the D.D. Bean plant floor.  For example, we are running the very same equipment that was used in Canada at the Eddy Match plant, until it’s closure in 1999. 

On the shop floor you will find the best-of-the-best book match making equipment in the world.  The original D.D. Bean commodity matchbook machines are a marvel in their own right.  These matchbook or “booking” machines, run at twice the speed of any other semi-automated match-making machine ever in production.  Caddy packing is fully automated to meet the high-speed rate of the assembly machine.  The pace is rapid, but the quality – due to decades of honing the machine – is excellent.  World class.

Further down the production line, you will see the promotional and advertising matchbooks being produced on the card and flat fed machines.  Standing alongside these mechanized, synchronized, harmonized assembly machines are a team of American workers.  Each member of the team takes turns operating and packing for the machine.  Both operators are highly trained in quality control and take great pride in turning out a product our customers are delighted to own and share.

At the heart of the operation, deep inside the old brick and beam mill building, is the mixing room.  Four large kettles are filled and emptied and refilled daily, with all the match-making chemicals.  This is no easy job.  Historically, each match factory had its own formula for mixing match heads; each plant employed an official Match Chemist to monitor and modify the formula as needed.  Some plants have used robotics to blend the chemicals with electronic weighing systems. We prefer the traditional method of hand weighing and blending the chemicals.

In the mixing room, you will see important process controls, variable speed monitors, sensors, pumps.  But the key to a successful batch of match head composition is the mixer – his name is Cliff.  Years of practice and his batches come out the same every time.  We know, because we test every one.

This new era match factory employs many other specialists too.  In addition to experienced machine operators (which requires years of training because all of our machines are one-of-a-kind) and experts in mixing the match head, there is a team of mechanics and a team of printers.  Both are specialized to support the modern match plant.”

This modern match plant is the natural progression in a mature industry.  What you won’t see are the milestones between the match plant closings of the 1970’s, 80’s, and 90’s.  You won’t see the dramatic change in distribution channels when the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) banned advertising of cigarettes on matches.  And you won’t see the progressive disappearance of a free matchbook. 

Each of these major events have inevitably jolted the industry from the path it was on to a completely new and unmarked one.  The American match-makers have risen to the challenge each time, and proven their ingenuity and perseverance by refusing to go away.  This is a story of survival. This is a story of commitment.  This is a story of an industry refusing to become obsolete.  Refusing to be eradicated by advanced manufacturing or robotics.  Refusing to be erased by imported substitute products.  We make fire.  Portable fire for everyone.  Right here in the USA.  And we will not be snuffed out.