Sponsored Video: Heinz Chilli Sauces – 57 and Counting
Stories of successful entrepreneurs abound in the annals of American industry, but some are quirkier and more lively than others; the H.J. Heinz Company story is just downright fun. Few of us in the Western world are unfamiliar with the “Heinz 57 Varieties” logo; now the company is introducing a few more of those varieties in a new campaign, so just for fun we will provide a little background for the new flavours.
The original product marketed by Henry John Heinz was horseradish; he was apparently the first to offer the root pre-ground, selling it door-to-door and saving its users much work and time in the kitchen. In 1869 H.J. expanded, opening the Anchor Pickle and Vinegar Works. The business struck a bumpy stretch with the ‘Panic’ and depression of the early 1870s and was forced into bankruptcy, but recovered promptly, and in 1876 Heinz introduced its cornerstone product Heinz tomato ketchup.
It wasn’t until 1896, after Heinz products numbered more than 60, including such items as peanut butter and plum pudding, that H.J. came up with the “57 Varieties” slogan. That slogan has become so familiar that in both Britain and the U.S., “Heinz 57” is the phrase used as a casual moniker for such diverse entities as a dog (or any animal) of mixed and/or unknown breeding and even for British Rail Class 57 locomotives.
At any rate, prepared horseradish was, appropriately, the first product promoted under “57 Varieties” but the slogan took hold so firmly that it was synonymous with the company in customers’ minds, and a new steak sauce (which became the omnipresent ‘brown sauce’ in the UK) was marketed simply as “Heinz 57”. Nowadays if you do a search for Heinz 57 you’ll find all sorts of interesting and off-the-wall references to the company and its products, and now there are even more to enjoy.
A new campaign to introduce four new Heinz chilli sauces is underway, so we ought to say a word or two about chillies. Aside from their great antiquity (they’ve been around in cook-pots for at least 7,000 years) and their proven health benefits and are loaded with vitamins C, A and D – chilli peppers come in an amazing variety of flavours and levels of ‘heat’.
Heinz 57 has come up with new sauces that vary from sweet to peppery to intensely spicy, each with its own unique and scrumptious flavour to enhance your enjoyment of favourite foods. Look for them on supermarket shelves and treat yourself to the latest in the world of Heinz 57 Varieties.
Article sponsored by Heinz
