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Finding Success in a Bottle: How Heinz Revolutionized an Industry

Article Overview: Heinz was called everything from the “Pickle King” to “tomato-obsessed,” but perhaps it was precisely this passion for produce that allowed Heinz to create one of the most successful US-based food companies in the world. How did this young boy who was destined to be a brick layer turn the tides around and become one of the most well-known names in corporate America?

Finding Success in a Bottle: How Heinz Revolutionized an Industry

Heinz was called everything from the “Pickle King” to “tomato-obsessed,” but perhaps it was precisely this passion for produce that allowed Heinz to create one of the most successful US-based food companies in the world. How did this young boy who was destined to be a brick layer turn the tides around and become one of the most well-known names in corporate America?

Branding: Although branding at the time was a relatively unknown commercial concept, Heinz was all too familiar with its properties. By associating his product with quality and freshness, and by introducing a popular slogan that would stick for decades to come, Heinz proved that customers do, in fact, like to buy what they know.

Promotions: Few other entrepreneurs at the time would have ever thought to emblaze their company’s logo on the hillsides of California, or to light up the streets of Manhattan with a 40-foot mascot. But that is exactly what made Heinz stand out from the rest. He took chances with his promotions and did what it took to get in people’s faces and make his name memorable.

People: Before the idea of workers’ benefits ever became popular throughout corporate America, Heinz was already jumping on the bandwagon. By encouraging an environment of workers’ solidarity and respect, and by instituting generous benefits and services, Heinz created a loyal and productive workforce that other companies would try to emulate in years to come.

Quality: Heinz believed that “a wide market awaited the manufacturer of food products who set purity and quality above everything else in their preparation.” During Heinz’s time, the food processing industry was nascent, but as of yet it still caused much trepidation in consumers, who were never fully sure of what they were buying. Heinz changed all of that. By promoting the Pure Food & Drug Act, and by allowing consumers to see the insides of both his factories and his foods, Heinz was able to build up trust with his customers and guarantee their satisfaction.

Ambition: There was nothing at the time that could assure Heinz that the same kinds of food Americans loved to eat would be just as popular in England or elsewhere. Would the British be as fond of his bright red ketchup as Americans? Would they consume horseradish at the same feverish rate? Heinz did not have the answers to those questions, but he was willing to take that chance. He refused to place limits on himself or his market and he never stopped anticipating new demand.

Today, 97 percent of American households have ketchup in their fridges. That is in large part thanks to the efforts and successes of Heinz in bringing his products to the masses. By pioneering the safe and sanitary preparation of his food, and by promoting the fair treatment of workers, Heinz not only revolutionized an industry, but changed corporate America as he knew it. Although the company is no longer headed by a member of the Heinz family, their legacy remains as strong as ever.

Related Articles
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  The Pickle King: The Early Years of Henry J. Heinz
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  57 Varieties of Success: The HJ Heinz Company Takes Off

Article Tags: brick layer, corporate america, food companies, food processing, food products, freshness, generous benefits, heinz, hillsides, jumping on the bandwagon, manhattan, mascot, pickle, productive workforce, purity, slogan, solidarity, tides, tomato, trepidation



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