Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
7 min of reading 
10 comments 
From a Simple Life Marked by Challenges in the Interior of Maranhão, Ilson Mateus Transformed Effort and Persistence into One of the Largest Retail Empires in Brazil, Leading the Mateus Group and Inspiring Thousands of Northeastern Entrepreneurs.
The Mateus Group — whose most known brand is Mix Mateus — is now one of the largest powers in Brazilian retail, with a dominant presence in the North and Northeast regions and a growth trajectory marked by overcoming challenges, strategy, and entrepreneurial vision.
Founded by Maranhão native Ilson Mateus Rodrigues, the company has established itself as the third largest supermarket chain nationally, the first in revenue in both regions, and one of the most profitable in the country.
Its success is supported by significant numbers, a management style that combines professionalism with family values, and an inspiring origin.
-
Meta’s new smart glasses are not just for seeing; they use artificial intelligence, analyze your food, summarize messages, and can even change the way you work in professions like engineering.
-
According to an analysis by NASA, only one human-made structure is visible from space, and it is not the Great Wall of China or the Pyramids of Egypt.
-
After 377 years of history, the Brazilian Army will have its first female general: Colonel Claudia Cacho has been promoted to brigadier general by Lula and will receive the sword and command baton this Wednesday in Brasília.
-
A Mercado Livre customer opened their package and found 32 resumes of people looking for jobs crumpled as protective paper inside the box, exposing names, addresses, documents, and phone numbers of dozens of candidates.
From the trunk of a car in the interior of Maranhão to the Stock Exchange, the Mateus Group has become a non-transferable case of regional success, challenging giants and proving that it’s possible to grow far from Brazil’s main urban centers.
Expansion and Regional Presence
The Mix Mateus chain maintains a wide presence in the Northeast and North of Brazil, particularly in Maranhão, where it has 139 stores, establishing itself as the group’s main regional market. Pará follows next, with 70 units, reinforcing the brand’s strength in the Amazon region.
In Ceará, the group has 14 stores, while Pernambuco houses 13 units. Piauí totals 11 points of sale, a similar number to Bahia, which has 10 units. In the smaller states, the expansion is also significant: Paraíba has 9 stores, Alagoas counts with 4, and Sergipe maintains 3 units.
These numbers, reported on the official Mix Mateus website, highlight a solid and continuous growth strategy, consolidating the company as a dominant force in regional retail and reaching consumers in practically all states of the Northeast and part of the Amazon.
The Empire of Ilson Mateus
Founded by Ilson Mateus, the Mateus Group is an example of prosperity built through hard work and resilience.
The entrepreneur’s journey is remarkable not only for the company’s expansion but also for his own life story.
Ilson opened the company’s capital in 2020, during the pandemic, and became the owner of one of the largest fortunes in the Northeast.
He now controls a network of 273 stores divided among wholesale, supermarkets, emporiums, and convenience stores.
In a sector with tight profit margins and competition on every corner, the Mateus Group stands out for its efficiency and adaptability.
Even without a physical presence outside the North and Northeast, the conglomerate ranks among the three largest food retailers in Brazil, behind only Carrefour and Assaí.
Growth and Significant Results
The Mateus Group concluded 2024 with results that confirm its upward trajectory. Revenues reached R$ 32 billion, a 19% increase compared to the previous year. The gross profit reached R$ 7 billion, growing 20% from 2023.
The company totals 273 points of sale distributed across 112 cities in nine Brazilian states, reinforcing its position among the largest retail companies in the country.
With over 50,000 employees, the group celebrated 39 years of activity in 2024, maintaining a focus on sustainable growth and expanding its consumer base.
From Balsas to the Top
The story of Ilson Mateus begins in the interior of Maranhão. Born in 1964, he lost his father at the age of four and completed only the basic education, as he had to work early to help his family. He was a shoeshiner, worked in a cachaça factory, and at the age of 21, in the early 1980s, decided to head to Serra Pelada in search of gold.
At that time, the mine was the largest open-pit operation in the world, attracting thousands of people seeking fortune. Ilson Mateus spent years in that difficult reality, working in the vicinity of Marabá and in the Serra dos Carajás, but he did not find the success he was hoping for.
Without results in gold extraction, he returned to Imperatriz, where he opened two small businesses — and failed at both. Still, he did not give up. His third attempt would be the one that changed everything.
The Grocery Store That Became an Empire
In 1986, during the Cruzado Plan, Ilson Mateus moved to Balsas, a municipality that was emerging as a hub for agribusiness and commerce. There, he opened a five-square-meter grocery store, where he sold cachaça. He bought, on credit, an old truck to make deliveries between Imperatriz and Balsas, and started a small logistics business.
The grocery store grew. Over time, it became a supermarket with three checkouts, giving rise to the embryo of what would become the Mateus Group. Between the late 1980s and early 1990s, Ilson Mateus expanded his activities in southern Maranhão. The small business evolved and the Mateus Supermarkets brand was born.
As the business grew, new brands emerged: Mix Mateus, which combines retail and wholesale; Hiper Mateus, Eletro Mateus, and an e-commerce platform.
In the early 2000s, the entrepreneur inaugurated the Hiper Mateus and began the diversification process. New ventures emerged, such as the bread industry “Bumba Meu Pão” and the Mix Mateus wholesale stores, which also reached Pernambuco.
Consolidation Among Giants
The regional success soon placed the Mateus Group among the largest food retailers in Brazil. As a publicly traded company, Forbes included Ilson Mateus, in 2023, among the 51 Brazilians with fortunes over US$ 1 billion.
One of the key points in his trajectory is his ability to identify opportunities and modernize management. Ilson Mateus hired, in 2017, Consultoria Falconi, one of the most prestigious consulting firms in the country, to structure internal processes and strategies.
He maintains family culture but values professionalism. Brothers and children occupy strategic roles, and together they control 79% of the company shares, while the 21% remaining belongs to investors.
The entrepreneur prides himself on stating that six out of ten employees have over ten years with the company, a statistic that reflects stability and engagement.
The administrative reorganization was crucial for the significant leap that would come in the following years: the IPO on the Stock Exchange.
The Arrival at the Stock Exchange
The IPO (initial public offering of shares) of the Mateus Group took place in October 2020, when the company, which started with a 50 m² grocery store, raised R$ 4.63 billion on the B3.
This feat transformed the former gold miner into one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the country and brought his story to Faria Lima, the financial heart of Brazil.
The IPO took place during the pandemic and amid an economic crisis, which reinforces the exceptional nature of the operation.
Even in times of recession, the group maintained consistent growth, betting on the wholesale model, which gained strength as consumers shifted from traditional supermarkets to bulk purchasing.
The bet paid off. The model became the flagship of the company and ensured profitability even in times of economic instability.
Strategy, Innovation, and New Markets
The ability to adapt is one of the pillars of the Mateus Group. The entrepreneur realized early on that northeastern consumers valued not only price but also convenience and variety. Therefore, the group diversified its portfolio, moving from basic foods like rice and beans to electronics and household items.
The conglomerate’s brands cater to different audience profiles. Mateus Mix focuses on wholesale; Spazio Mateus targets higher income classes.
This segmentation allows them to reach everyone from small merchants to high-income families, strengthening market penetration.
Philosophy of Life and Management
Even with success, Ilson Mateus maintains a simple lifestyle. In an appearance on the PrimoCast podcast, the entrepreneur explained that he prefers discretion over ostentation.
“I decided to lead a simple life, without ostentation. I live in a simple house, have a simple car. I often tell my children: this is not for you. I see many people who, when they start to grow, become arrogant, haughty. That’s something I always wanted to avoid,” he said.
The entrepreneur believes that wealth should be in the company, not in personal lifestyle.
“The company has to be rich, but I, as an entrepreneur, have to be average. If tomorrow I have nothing, I can live,” he stated.
This philosophy is reflected in the corporate culture of the Mateus Group, which values humility, meritocracy, and commitment to local development.
The closeness between leaders and employees is a striking feature of the management style that values simplicity and collective work.
A Unique Case of Regional Success
The Mateus Group is now a phenomenon that challenges the logic of national retail. In a country where growth tends to concentrate in the Southeast and South metropolitan areas, the company has proven that it’s possible to build an empire from the interior of Maranhão.
Its success is not only due to sales volume but also to its ability to maintain a regional identity, respecting local consumption profiles and adapting to different realities in the Northeast and the Amazon.
From Balsas to the top of retail, Ilson Mateus’s journey is marked by persistence, discipline, and vision. The former gold miner who once sought gold at Serra Pelada found his true treasure in labor and trust in his land.
Almost four decades after the small five-square-meter grocery store, the Mateus Group continues to grow and inspire thousands of Brazilian entrepreneurs.
With billion-dollar revenues, constant expansion, and a humane and efficient management, the group is now more than just a company: it is a symbol that success can be born — and flourish — far from major centers when there is purpose, resilience, and focus on the future.
E a história se repete: brasileiro odiando o empresário que gera empregos e amando político, como um tal de Lula, por exemplo. Que casca ruim que o brasileiro criou. Povo sofrido, pobre e invejoso. Que vida desgramada.
É tanto quanto duvidoso, um crescimento astronômico desses em tão curto tempo, porém não estou dizendo que não é possível, porém o que quero dizer é que no meu ponto de vista, há que se investigar melhor os verdadeiros caminhos que o fizeram chegar aonde está hoje, se de forma lícita ou quem sabe….
Essa foi boa mané
Conheço Mateus.
Já vendi para ele.
Quem tem que ser investigado são os políticos, os ministros do STF.
Juízes.
Pois como que com salario teto de R$45,000 mês eles tem fortunas de milhões e alguns de bilhoes.
Mateus foi inteligente comecou a quase 50 anos atrás.
Lutou , ralou foi inteligente.
Coisa que 1% dos brasileiros são.
Ex oque ganhou dinheiro ilegal e teve que se torna lícito. Nada que um mercadinho pequeno e vai crescendo e crescendo e crescendo.