Heinz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
H. J. Heinz Company

Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, pictured in 2008
Type	Division
Industry	Food processing
Fate	Merged with Kraft Foods to form Kraft Heinz, remaining as a division
Founded	January 1869; 156 years ago (1869-01) (as Heinz Noble & Company) Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Founder	Henry J. Heinz
Headquarters	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Sauces, condiments
Parent	Kraft Heinz

The H. J. Heinz Company is an American company that makes and sells many kinds of food. Its main office is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Henry J. Heinz started the company in 1869.

Heinz makes thousands of food products. These are made in factories all over the world. They are sold in more than 200 countries. The company says it has 150 top-selling brands. For example, Heinz is number one in ketchup sales in the US.

Since 1896, Heinz has used the slogan "57 Varieties". Henry Heinz saw a sign for "21 styles of shoes." He liked the idea and picked the number 57. He chose it even though Heinz made more than 60 products. He said "5" was his lucky number and "7" was his wife's.

In 2013, Heinz was bought by two companies, Berkshire Hathaway and 3G Capital. They paid $23 billion for it. Later, in 2015, Heinz joined with Kraft Foods. They formed a new company called Kraft Heinz. This new company is the fifth largest food company in the world.

The Story of Heinz

How Heinz Began

Henry J. Heinz, the founder of Heinz

The company is named after its founder, Henry J. Heinz. He was born in the United States. His parents had moved there from Germany.

Henry J. Heinz started his food business in 1869. He began in a small town called Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania. He started a company called Heinz Noble & Company with a friend. Their first product was horseradish, made from his mother's recipe.

An old Heinz ad from the 1800s, showing different products.

The first company went out of business in 1875. But Henry didn't give up! The next year, he started a new company. He called it F & J Heinz. He started it with his brother and a cousin. One of their first products was Heinz Tomato Ketchup. The company kept growing bigger.

In 1888, Henry Heinz bought out his partners. He then renamed the company the H. J. Heinz Company. The famous "57 varieties" slogan was first used in 1896. Henry Heinz chose the number 57 because he liked how it sounded. He felt the number "7" had a special meaning to people.

Growing Through the Years

A display of Heinz canned foods in a store window in 1944.

In 1905, H. J. Heinz became a larger company. Henry Heinz was its first president. He worked to make sure food was prepared in a very clean way. He also helped pass a law called the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906. This law made sure food was safe and honest.

During World War I, Heinz helped with food supplies. Later, during the Great Depression in the 1930s, Henry's son, Howard Heinz, helped the company. They started selling ready-to-eat soups and baby food. These became very popular.

After World War II, Henry's grandson, "Jack" Heinz, helped the company grow even more. He opened factories in many countries. He also bought other food companies like Ore-Ida (known for frozen potatoes) and Starkist Tuna.

In 1959, Frank Armour Jr. became the first president of Heinz who was not a family member.

Between 1981 and 1991, Heinz did very well. But by the year 2000, things became harder. More stores like Walmart sold their own brands. This made it tougher for Heinz to sell its products.

Heinz in the 21st Century

In 2001, Heinz bought the pasta sauce and soup business from Borden Foods. The CEO, William R. Johnson, said these products fit well with Heinz's experience in tomato-based foods.

In 2002, Heinz sold its StarKist and 9Lives brands to Del Monte Foods.

On February 14, 2013, it was announced that Heinz would be bought by Berkshire Hathaway and 3G Capital. This was a very big deal in the food world. The new owners named Bernardo Hees as the new CEO.

In 2013, Heinz announced it would cut 600 jobs in North America. Also, McDonald's decided to stop using Heinz ketchup. This was because the new Heinz CEO used to be the CEO of Burger King, a McDonald's competitor.

Joining with Kraft

On March 25, 2015, Kraft Foods Group Inc. announced it would join with the H. J. Heinz Company. This created the world's fifth-largest food and drink company. The merger was completed on July 2, 2015.

Popular Heinz Brands

What Products Does Heinz Make?

Dressings

• Balsamic With a hint of Garlic
• Chilli & Lime
• Raspberry Balsamic
• Zesty Lemon

Pastas

Sauces

Soups

Heinz Around the World

United States

The Kraft Heinz company has its main offices in Chicago, Illinois. The Heinz part of the company is still based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This is where it all began. The Heinz logo looks like the "keystone" shape of Pennsylvania, which is known as the "Keystone State." Heinz Field in Pittsburgh was named after the company in 2001.

Most of Heinz's ketchup in the US is made in Fremont, Ohio. The rest is made in Muscatine, Iowa.

Heinz opened a pickle factory in Holland, Michigan, in 1897. It is the biggest pickle factory in the world. Heinz also has other factories in places like Phoenix, Arizona, Irvine, California, and Florence, South Carolina.

Australia

The Heinz-Watties factory in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales

Heinz Australia's main office is in Melbourne. They make popular products like canned baked beans and spaghetti in tomato sauce. They also make canned soups.

Heinz also sells the Wattie's brand of canned foods. These are made in New Zealand. In 2008, Heinz bought an Australian company called Golden Circle. This company makes canned fruit, vegetables, and juices.

In 2011, Heinz announced they would close some factories in Australia. This meant over 300 jobs were lost. The tomato sauce factory in Girgarre closed in 2012. This ended Heinz's 70 years of processing tomatoes in Australia.

Canada

The former Heinz plant in Leamington, Ontario

Heinz started in Canada in 1908. Their factory was in Leamington, Ontario. This town is known as the "Tomato Capital of Canada." Most products from Leamington have both English and French labels. This is for selling them across Canada. Many products are also sent to the US.

Ketchup is the main product made there. The factory also makes tomato juice, mustard, vinegar, and baby food. It also produces barbecue sauces, canned pastas, and soups. The Leamington plant processes over 250,000 tons of tomatoes each year.

In 2013, Heinz said the Leamington factory would close. This meant over 800 jobs were lost. A local group tried to save the plant. In 2014, a new company, Highbury Canco Corporation, took over. They were able to save about 250 jobs.

After Heinz left, another company called French's started making ketchup. They used tomatoes from Leamington. This made many Canadians happy. It caused Heinz's share of the ketchup market in Canada to drop.

India

Heinz Ketchup is sold in India. It comes in a standard Tomato Ketchup and a Tomato Chili Sauce. Heinz also bought other brands in India, like Complan and Glucon D. In 2019, Heinz sold some of these businesses.

Indonesia

Sambal Asli ABC, a Heinz ABC product

H. J. Heinz Company came to Indonesia in 1999. They bought a large share of PT. ABC Central Food. This company became PT. Heinz ABC Indonesia. It makes sauces, condiments, juices, and syrups.

Heinz ABC Indonesia is Heinz's biggest business in Asia. It is also one of the largest in the world. It has 3,000 employees and many factories. Their most popular products are Syrup ABC (fruit syrup), Kecap ABC (sweet soy sauce), and Sambal ABC (hot chili sauce).

Netherlands

Heinz sells many products in the Netherlands. The factory in Elst makes most of the Heinz sauces for Western Europe. In 2006, the making of HP Sauce and Daddies moved to Elst. This happened after Heinz bought HP Foods.

United Kingdom

The Heinz Monument at Cape Cornwall. It honors Heinz buying this land for the nation.

The Heinz UK main office moved to The Shard in London. Heinz opened its first UK factory in London in 1905. A new factory opened in Kitt Green, near Wigan, in 1959.

The Kitt Green factory is one of the world's five largest manufacturing units. It is Europe's biggest food factory. It produces over 1 billion cans every year.

China

In 2013, Heinz sold its LongFong Food business in China. Heinz (China) now focuses on baby foods and sauces in China. Heinz Hong Kong Limited is the main office for Hong Kong, China, and Taiwan.

New Zealand

Heinz makes frozen vegetables for export from New Zealand. They also make mayonnaise and other sauces for New Zealand and Australia. Most products sold in New Zealand are under the "Wattie's" brand name.

See also

In Spanish: Heinz (compañía) para niños