Heinz, Henry John

Heinz, Henry John (1844–1916) food manufacturer; born in Pittsburgh, Pa. When he was 8 years old he began peddling surplus home-grown vegetables to neighbors; by 1860 he was making three wagon deliveries of his vegetables a week to Pittsburgh grocers. In 1869 he formed his first partnership selling grated horseradish; by 1875 they were bankrupt. The next year the F. & J. Heinz Company was launched with his brother and cousin as partners (providing the initials in the company's name) and himself as manager, manufacturing pickles and condiments: their tomato ketchup, still a best-seller, was introduced in 1876. In 1888 the company was reorganized as the H. J. Heinz Company and by 1896 Henry had invented the phrase "57 varieties." The company incorporated in 1905 with Henry as president. By his death he was employing thousands of employees at 25 separate factories and processing the harvest from over 100,000 acres.