People only just realising why Heinz displays number 57 on every ketchup bottle

25 October 2023 , 11:40

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Henry J. Heinz introduced the marketing slogan '57 pickle Varieties in 1896 (Image: Corbis via Getty Images)

It has been Heinz's marketing slogan for almost 130 years - but people are only just realising what the number 57 actually means. When using Heinz tomato ketchup, you'll notice the number 57 embossed on its bottle, usually above its label on the right-hand side.

But it has got people wondering 'why the number 57', with many believing it's because Heinz has 57 products available to buy in shops. One confused Reddit user asked: "What does the 57 mean on Heinz products?", while another said: "Today I learned there actually aren't '57 varieties' of Heinz ketchup".

Henry J. Heinz introduced the marketing slogan "57 pickle Varieties" in 1896 after being inspired by an advert he saw when riding an elevated train in New York. The shoe store advert proudly announced their '21 styles' of footwear.

Following suit, Heinz decided to add the number 57 on to his products to impress his prospective customers. According to the New York Post, there were never 57 varieties of Heinz ketchup, with Heinz simply picking 5, his lucky number, and 7, his wife’s lucky number.

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An article in Smithsonian Magazine reads: "It was a poignant remembrance: Heinz and Sarah Young married in 1869 and she had been an important part of building his business, but she died of pneumonia in 1894. In 1915, Heinz also built Sarah Heinz House, a social welfare house in Pittsburgh, in her memory. Heinz’s new slogan had the desired effect. It’s stuck around for more than 120 years."

Commenting on this revelation, one user said: "I spent years and years believing that it referred to the number of products Heinz had at the time, as per their old marketing slogan "57 pickle varieties."

"But apparently that's false. The advertising slogan is 100 per cent true. The falsehood is that Heinz didn't have 57 varieties at that time, they had more. But another company was advertising the number of products they had, and Heinz just liked the idea and settled on 57, allegedly because he thought the number had a good ring to it."

Another user added: "I found out that the number 57 on a Heinz ketchup bottle had nothing to do with the product label! The truth is that the place with the numbers is the sweet spot you should tap to get the ketchup flowing! So, stop banging the bottom of your sauce bottle already and hit the 5."

Paige Freshwater