RESEARCH // HISTORY OF HEINZ KETCHUP
Continuing with my research for D&AD's Heinz brief, I came across a timeline of Heinz company history.
'Henry J. Heinz - The founder of The Heinz Company'
Henry J. Heinz was still interested in the recipes of his mother and he was constantly experimenting. In (1869), together with a friend and a neighbour. Clarence Noble, he launched a company named Heinz & Noble. It provided restaurants and cafes with sauerkraut, grated horseradish, pickles, and other products.
The national American sauce
Henry’s mother, who came from Bohemia, knew how to make a delicious tomato sauce and this was the recipe, which became a custom of the most popular ketchup brand of nowadays. Tomato sauce made from fresh tomatoes grown by Heinz in the fields of Pennsylvania. The ketchup more than delighted consumers, as it could improve the taste of a wide variety of products – from sausages to pasta. Henry tried to make the quality of his products as high as it was possible. For example, he introduced new technologies and constantly experimented with packaging. He believed that the way the bottle looks was the most important in the product’s image. Henry decided that the customer should see what the product contains inside, and started to use glass bottles for his ketchup.
Quality production & welfare of his employees
Over time, his company expanded its size and increased a headcount, which created a new problem. In the summer of (1892), the employees went on strike against mass dismissals from work. Ten people were killed during a fight with the security of the factory, and several dozens were injured.
Henry J. Heinz was shocked by this case, so he immediately started to improve working conditions on his factories. Moreover, every factory worker had a free medical service guaranteed. Henry J. Heinz was committed to the pleasant working conditions and well-being of his employees.
Advertising Heinz products
Henry J. Heinz regularly moved around the country, promoting the company’s products in the trains. He always made notes on his observations along the way.
It is fascinating to know that in (1896) while riding a train in New York City, Henry J. Heinz saw a sign advertising 21 styles of shoes, which he thought was very smart. Although Heinz was manufacturing more than 60 products at the time, Henry thought 57 was his lucky number. Therefore, he began using the slogan “57 Varieties” in all his advertising. Today the company has more than 5,700 products around the world, but still uses the magical number of “57.”
Tomato Ketchup international trade
In the winter of (1886), Henry J. Heinz agreed to go to Europe with his family and immediately went to the manager of the Fortnum & Mason department store who was the supplier and showed the samples of his Heinz products.
From that point, England became the first foreign market selling Heinz brand. After ten years, sales have grown to the level, which made Heinz open an office in London not far from the Tower of London. Heinz products came into international trade, which was significant as those days American products were not popular in Europe. Today, about 32,000 of employees work at Heinz factories worldwide. Heinz ketchup is present in almost every household refrigerator.
https://astrumpeople.com/henry-j-heinz-biography/
http://www.company-histories.com/HJ-Heinz-Company-Company-History.html