Ariana Salinas

Mr. Skipper

Encounters 7

February 16, 2022

Tomato Obsessed

Introduction

One of the most famous appetizers in America is ketchup which was very popularly sold by a man named Henry John Heinz. From just starting off with a small business until many years later he made his own company with the help of close friends and family that was later named after him. The way he got recognized by people is by using another type of jar when selling his products. Instead of using green jars like any other entrepreneur he used clear jars to be able to display the pureness of his product. Becoming famous wasn't that easy for Heinz; he had many obstacles he had to overcome in order to be successful. He had many failed businesses in his early days as an entrepreneur. Not only did he sell ketchup but many more appetizers through his business growth. Heinz really showed people to not give up after not getting something right the first time. 

Early Life

Henry J. Heinz became a very good entrepreneur at a young age. It all started when two German immigrants met in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where Heinz was born on October 11, 1844. His mother Anna Margaretta and father John Henry Heinz had eight children in total. Since Heinz was little he started selling products his family made. Like many other German families they had their own garden. Their garden was really important to them because Heinz and all his siblings would spend hours working on the garden trying to get the freshest vegetables. Over the years of working on the garden when Heinz became a teenager he decided to hire employees to work on the garden. Their products were recognized around town, so young Heinz would go and sell the products (Henry J. Heinz Historical Maker). His most famous product was the horseradish sauce that his mom made. Not only did they have a garden but also a brickyard Heinz dad had. Heinz would sometimes help his dad work on it. He started spending more time on it after he went to Duffs Mercantile College where he studied bookkeeping. This little business was a huge success for him. This made him have business experience at a young age (Hoover). 

Beginning of Career

After all those years of Heinz working in his family's garden and creating garden produce he realized that he would want to do this for the rest of his life. When he was around 15 years old his main goal was to make a horseradish that would be as successful as the one his mother made. Getting this recipe took him sometime. As Heinz got to make more produce he would sell them in restaurants, hotels and he even bought clear glass bottles to show the purity of his produce this shows how much passion Heinz had (Hoover). At the age of 25 Heinz decided to join a business his friend Clarence Noble had in Pittsburgh. Both of them wanted to make the best horseradish to sell. Their company was successful after a year had passed since it was founded. But the success didn't last forever. The oversupply of horseradish made the prices go low which caused problems. Heinz and Noble had fallen to bankruptcy (Henry John Heinz). After that business failure Heinz didn't give up he decided to create a new company with his cousin Frederick and his brother John the company was later called H. J. Heinz Co. This company gave Heinz a new opportunity to follow his dreams (Henry J. Heinz Historical Maker).

Significant Accomplishments

The amazing entrepreneur Heinz became famous when he and his company introduced tomato ketchup. Some people actually think the Heinz company created ketchup first but they didn't. They just offered it in a high quality that made sales go up for this product (Henry J. Heinz Historical Maker). As time passed many restaurants had the Heinz tomato ketchup bottle. This was such a big time for Heinz after some of his companies had failed. The ketchup he made became so popular that people started calling him “tomato obsessed”. After ketchup being such a big hit, the Heinz company decided to make mustard, pickles, apple butter, and tomato soup. Heinz thought about a way to promote his other products and he decided to make pickle pins during the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. The pins were little shapes of pickles. This was a success; it even became one of the most popular promotional pieces in American business. The original pins actually became valuable collector items as time passed. As Heinz and his company grew they decided to make 57 varieties which meant how many products they had but they had more than 57. Some people didn't like the idea but Heinz liked the number so they kept it (Henry J. Heinz). Things were finally starting to look good for Heinz since some of his companies had failed. For example, when the Heinz and Noble company had failed, Heinz was having trouble with money while paying the bills so he had to embezzle money from a partner. This wasn't good because he was not able to pay back the money that got him arrested. During this time he was also falling into depression he couldn't even get out of bed (Hoover). This was a difficult time for Heinz but he was able to get back up and look where it got him. By 1896 he was a celebrity and a millionaire. Wherever people went they saw the name Heinz; that's how popular he was.

Impact on the World

The food products Henry J Heinz made have sold world-wide. Many people are happy to buy his products. It helps them create different types of foods that go great with the appetizers the Heinz company produces. Heinz made a positive impact on the world because he was able to make many products that have helped many people. His products show how much he cares about his business. This makes people know that his products are worth buying. He did this by using the clear bottles when packaging his products so people know what they're buying. Heinz doing this was really good because it made his sales go up and made people trust all his products, not like other companies that would scam people. The Heinz Company has made many of the most popular appetizers people use on a daily basis, so because of this Heinz became really popular in America. This is good because he was able to help many American families when he first started (Henry John Heinz). The most famous appetizer his company produced was ketchup which later became successful in America even to this day. One thing America is known for its ketchup, Heinz was able to produce something that is popular in a whole country.

Lessons Learned From Their Life

Henry J Heinz became a really successful entrepreneur after many failed attempts he had for trying to create a business. This shows he was determined in his dream that he never gave up. He was also nice to his buyers and he always cared about what they thought about his product. He even struggled with bankruptcy but still decided to build his own company. Many people sometimes give up on their dream if it doesn't succeed the first time and Heinz can show people that they shouldn't give up. This can inspire a lot of people to keep following their dream. Heinz also got help from his family to build his own business which shows that family is really important. Which can show people that family will always support them. Heinz had an amazing personality and determination along his life. He was also inspirational to many people.

Works Cited

"Henry J. Heinz Historical Maker." ExplorePAhistory.com, explorepahistory.com/  

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“Henry John Heinz.” Your Dictionary, biography.yourdictionary.com/
henry-john-heinz. Accessed 5 Nov. 2021.

Hoover, Gary. “Brand Man: The HJ Heinz Story.” Archbridge Institute, 5 July 2018, archbridgeinstitute.org/2018/07/05/brand-man-the-hj-heinz-story/. Accessed 20 Nov. 2021.

Kurtik, Frank. “The Centenary of the Death of H. J. Heinz.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 12 May 2019, post-gazette.com/opinion/Op-Ed/2019/05/12/HJ-Heinz-death-

centenary-life-legacy-entrepreneur-Pittsburgh-Frank-Kurtik-Next-Page/stories

201905120044. Accessed 20 Nov. 2021.