Heinz

Heinz is now part of The Kraft Heinz Company. Almost everyone knows Heinz ketchup, but in the UK Heinz Beanz – beans in tomato sauce, a fixture of the traditional full English breakfast – are just as popular.

History

Henry John Heinz founded the company in 1869 in Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania. His first product was grated horseradish made to his mother's recipe – sold in clear glass bottles so customers could see what they were buying, while competitors used brown glass. After going bankrupt in 1875 he started again, and in 1876 he launched ketchup.

Heinz beans reached Britain in 1886, when the London department store Fortnum & Mason began selling them as a luxury item; they have been sold nationwide since 1901. During the Second World War the British Ministry of Food classed them as an essential food. In 1959 Heinz opened a factory at Kitt Green near Wigan, where Beanz are still made today, and in 2015 it merged with Kraft.

Did you know?

• The "57 Varieties" slogan was coined in 1896, when the company was already making more than 60 products. Henry Heinz chose the number 57 from his lucky number 5 and his wife's lucky number 7.
• At the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, the company handed out pickle-shaped pins to draw visitors to its poorly located stand; it gave away around a million of them.
• The advertising slogan "Beanz Meanz Heinz" was written in 1967 by copywriter Maurice Drake – in his own words, over two pints in a London pub. In 2008 the beans were renamed from Heinz Baked Beans to Heinz Beanz.
• The Wigan factory produces up to 2 million tins of beans a day, and it takes about 90 minutes from raw ingredients to sealed tin.
• Heinz has held a British Royal Warrant since 1954.

What we stock

Heinz Beanz (415 g) are haricot beans in tomato sauce – beans make up 51% and tomatoes 34% of the contents. Just heat them in a pan or in the microwave.

Serve them the British way: on buttered toast, with eggs, bacon and sausages as part of a full English breakfast, with jacket potatoes or with grated cheese. They also make a quick side dish for grilled meat.