H. J. HEINZ

Founder of H. J. Heinz Co.

Henry John Heinz was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on October 11, 1844. He began his business career by grating horseradish roots in his basement and selling it in glass jars door-to-door, along with surplus vegetables from the family's garden. In a day when most foods were sold in dark jars in order to hide their many impurities, Heinz made a very pure product. To show this and inspire trust in his product, he used clear glass jars, one of the first of his many improvements to the food industry. His first factory was opened in Sharpsburg in 1869 with a friend, L. Clarence Noble, and named it Heinz and Noble. It went bankrupt in 1875, due to a surplus of crops that year.

Heinz recovered from the bankruptcy in 1876 by raising capital and enlisting his brother and cousin in a firm named F&J Heinz. Although he ran the company, the bankruptcy made it illegal for him to own it. That was also the year he first sold his famous ketchup. Heinz used new technological developments like railroad refrigeration, steam pressure-cooking, and vacuum canning to introduce products like baked beans while increasing the production of others. He also continued his travels, always looking for new areas and opportunities to sell his products. On a trip to London in 1886, he stopped into Fortnum & Mason, a leading food company, to demonstrate his products, and they promptly bought them all. This made Heinz one of the first American international packaged food companies. The company became the H. J. Heinz Co. in 1888. In 1890 they developed the familiar keystone logo, for its home state of Pennsylvania, the octoganal shape, and screw cap for the ketchup bottle.

In addition to believing that the quality of his food was of greatest importance, Heinz was always a master of promotion. At the 1893 Chicago World's Fair (the Columbian Exposition), he was given an out-of-the-way spot for his exhibition. To increase interest, he came up with the pickle pin give away, which attracted huge crowds and has become one of the most famous promotional pices in history. Then in 1896, on a trip to New York, he saw an ad touting the great variety of shoes a certain shoe store had. Using that idea, he came up with the advertising slogan of "57 Varieties", although even at that time he was producing more varieties than that. Both ideas are still today used to represent the entire company.

Another of his highest priorities, Heinz believed that people should be treated well. Factory conditions were often better than the workers had at home. He was so proud of the cleanliness of his factory that he invented the public factory tour. Heinz died on May 14, 1919, leaving his family to carry on the family traditions. Today, the H. J. Heinz Company is a worldwide company, encompassing the brand names of Heinz, Star-Kist, Ore-Ida, Weight Watchers, and many others.

His spirit of community and philanthropy was great. Though he was involved in many areas, perhaps the best measure of his commitment is what he passed on to his children. His son, Howard, and his daughter-in-law Vira (wife of son Clifford), both began charitable trusts, which continue to this day as The Heinz Endowments. His grandson, H. John Heinz III, went into public service and became a well-respected United States Senator. There were many pushing him to run for President when he was killed in a freak air crash in 1991. The family continues to carry on this tradition of community and caring.