Heinz
The H. J. Heinz Company (/haɪnz/) is an American food processing company headquartered at One PPG Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[2] The company was founded by Henry J. Heinz in 1869. Heinz manufactures a couple thousand food products in plants on six continents, and markets these products in more than 200 countries and territories. The company claims to have 150 number-one or number-two brands worldwide.[3] Heinz ranked first in ketchup in the US with a market share in excess of 50%;[4][5] the Ore-Ida label held 46% of the frozen potato sector in 2003.[6]
For other uses, see Heinz (disambiguation).Company type
NYSE: HNZ
January 1869 (as Heinz Noble & Company)
Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.
July 2, 2015
Merged with Kraft Foods to form Kraft Heinz, remaining as a division
Worldwide
Sauces, condiments
Since 1896, the company used its "57 Varieties" slogan; it was inspired by a sign advertising 21 styles of shoes, and Henry Heinz chose the number 57 even though the company manufactured more than 60 products at the time, because "5" was his lucky number and "7" was his wife's.[7]
In February 2013, Heinz agreed to be purchased by Berkshire Hathaway and the Brazilian investment firm 3G Capital for $23 billion.[8] On March 25, 2015, Kraft announced its merger with Heinz, arranged by Berkshire Hathaway and 3G Capital.[9][10] The resulting Kraft Heinz Company is the fifth largest food company in the world.[11] Berkshire Hathaway became a majority owner of Heinz on June 18, 2015. After exercising a warrant to acquire 46 million shares of common stock for a total price of over $461 million, Berkshire increased its stake to 52.5%.[12] The merger to form Kraft Heinz was completed on July 2, 2015.
International presence[edit]
United States[edit]
The company's world headquarters were in Chicago, Illinois, with the H. J. Heinz division located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where the company was founded. The company's "keystone" logo was based on that of Pennsylvania, the "keystone state". Heinz Field was named after the Heinz company in 2001.
A majority of its ketchup was produced in Fremont, Ohio, and the rest made in Muscatine, Iowa.[45]
Heinz opened a pickle factory in Holland, Michigan, in 1897, and it is the largest such facility in the world. The Heinz Portion Control subsidiary is located in Jacksonville, Florida, and produces single-serving containers of ketchup, mustard, salad dressings, jams, jellies and syrups.[46]
Heinz also had factories in the following locations:[47] Arizona (Phoenix); California (Chatsworth, Escalon, Irvine, San Diego); Florida (Fort Myers); Idaho (Pocatello); Iowa (Cedar Rapids, Muscatine); Massachusetts (Newburyport); Ohio (Mason, Massillon); Oregon (Ontario), and South Carolina (Florence).
In 2000, seven retailers, including Walmart, Albertsons, and Safeway, comprised half of the company's sales by volume.[1]
