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Since the late 1800s, Heinz has provided a relatively unchanged ketchup recipe. Yet, Heinz's bottle history has evolved considerably over the years.
Introduced: 1876
In 1876, Henry J. Heinz introduced his tomato ketchup in a clear glass bottle. He chose the clear color to showcase his superior ingredients, compared to his competitors, who preferred to use brownish bottles to hide their subpar contents. His first iteration wasn't even called "ketchup" initially, but rather "catsup." Heinz's commitment to visible quality was so successful that he soon secured international distribution, with London's Fortnum & Mason becoming one of his earliest retail partners.
Introduced: 1889
The iconic octagonal Heinz ketchup bottle was patented in 1890 after its 1889 introduction. The bottle was known for its eight-sided shape that prevented counterfeiting and enhanced brand recognition. Henry Heinz continued his commitment to transparency, using clear bottles. This Victorian-era bottle design has remained in continuous production for over 130 years and is still found in restaurants worldwide. It's one of the longest-running unchanged food packages in history, competing with Coca-Cola's iconic bottle and Tabasco's hot sauce bottle.
Introduced: 1906
The Heinz narrow-neck glass bottle was introduced in 1906. It was known for its tapered design and "57 Varieties" keystone label. The bottle featured a screw cap instead of a cork stopper, which required the famous "tap the 57" gesture to dispense properly. This bottle was designed with such precision that it flows ketchup at exactly 0.028 miles per hour. This was to show quality to consumers as they poured it on their favorite burger and fries.
Introduced: 1970
In 1970, Heinz launched the "Keg O' Ketchup," a squat 32-ounce glass bottle that maintained the iconic octagonal design while allowing for bulk dispensing. Due to its wide base, which prevented tipping, and larger portion size, it became a fixture in diners and family restaurants across America. Keg's introduction coincided with Heinz shipping its 15 billionth bottle of ketchup, enough to form a continuous line of bottles stretching from Earth to Mars and back.
Introduced: 1983
In 1983, Heinz introduced the plastic squeeze bottle. The plastic addressed the frustrating wait time and unpredictable dispensing of traditional glass containers. The lightweight design allowed consumers—particularly children—to easily control portion sizes without the mess or hassle of tapping glass bottles. The new bottle coincided with America's fast food boom, where people were more on the go and looking for a hassle-free experience. NASA later approved this bottle for use on the International Space Station in the 1990s, as you wouldn't want to deal with a broken glass bottle floating in space.
Introduced: 2000
In 2000, Heinz launched its "EZ Squirt" bottles. They were vibrantly colored ketchup in green, purple, blue, pink, and orange, and a mystery "Funky Purple" shade that changed color when applied to food. Designed with a special nozzle allowing children to draw patterns on their food. The ketchup was Heinz's attempt to grow its dwindling market share with kids. During its tenure, it sold over 25 million bottles and boosted Heinz's market share by 6%. But the novelty quickly wore off, with parents tiring of multicolored stains and children losing interest in what was essentially a food-based art supply.
Introduced: 2002
The Heinz upside-down ketchup bottle, introduced in 2002, revolutionized condiment packaging by solving the age-old problem of extracting ketchup from containers when they got low in supply. Heinz inverted the bottle design to stand on its cap, which used gravity to pull ketchup naturally toward the dispensing valve. This got rid of the frustrating tapping and shaking required with traditional bottles. The design also included a silicon valve that prevented leaks and allowed controlled dispensing with gentle pressure. The upside-down bottle appeared first in restaurants before reaching home consumers, and it is still popular today.
Introduced: 2011
Heinz's Dip & Squeeze packet was launched in 2011. It was created for fast-food restaurants for its dual-functionality design. It was invented because a Heinz executive spilled ketchup on his shirt while driving, inspiring the company to spend three years and test 700 prototypes before finalizing its current design. The teardrop-shaped container allowed users to either peel back the top for dipping or tear off the narrow end for squeezing. The tiny containers had three times more ketchup than traditional packets. It also helped to reduce waste.
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