tellerKetchup is one of the most popular food additives and can be found in many households around the world. We add it to hamburgers, french fries, and everything else we can think of. Heinz is one of the leading companies in the ketchup market. It sells more than 650 million bottles annually worldwide. We visited the company's European factory in the Netherlands to see how these world-famous food additives are manufactured.
Kraft Heinz Elst, Netherlands
Daniel Tra, Director of Operations, Kraft Heinz: At Elst, we produce sauces for Kraft Heinz. Our main product is ketchup. It is responsible for 70 percent. Our production.
We produce approximately 1.8 million bottles per day, which translates to approximately 175,000 bottles. Tons of ketchup annually.
This is how Heinz ketchup is produced.
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teller: The ketchup production process begins as 1.3-ton boxes of tomato paste are transported from the Heinz warehouse using automated forklifts. The boxes are opened and then placed in a dump truck, whose huge rollers compress the dough. After pressing, the paste is placed in a bowl where it is mixed with water to give it a smoother consistency. This facilitates its transfer to the tank where it matures until it is transported to the ketchup kitchen.
Danielle: This is our ketchup kitchen where we produce ketchup. Ketchup consists of five ingredients: sugar, vinegar, tomato paste, brine, and secret spices. The spices are dosed manually. We dose everything, mix it, and then everything goes into our process. The process basically involves heating the ketchup and then cooling it. Then we pour it into bottles.
This is how Heinz ketchup is produced.
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teller: But before any ketchup can be shipped, each batch must be rigorously tested using a device Heinz calls a “quantitator.”
Danielle: Here is our quantifier. This is a way to measure the viscosity of Heinz ketchup. This is the methodology we use in all our factories to compare ketchup quality. We put a certain amount of ketchup in the measuring device, then release it, and measure how quickly it moves after 10 seconds. 10.5 cm normal. This is a special method developed by Heinz.
Ketchup cannot move faster than 1.25 cm/s. If it moves too far, we have to block the sale. If it's normal, we can sell it. These empty bottles will be filled with ketchup. We have 70 filling heads. Fillings work based on weight. An empty bottle arrives, its weight is checked, and then the bottle is filled with ketchup until it reaches the appropriate weight. Then we check again whether the weight is correct.
This is how Heinz ketchup is produced.
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Interested in trade
The boxes with lids in the basement are emptied and taken upstairs. At the top we make sure the caps are in the correct position and in the correct row so we can place them correctly on the bottle with the machine.
We have three labels for this bottle: neck label, back label, and front label. These stickers are self-adhesive, so we don't need any glue. After labeling, the bottles go to the packaging machine. There, a tray is placed at the bottom of the bottles.
Then we wrap everything in shrink wrap and make sure the bottles are packed tightly. They go to the pallet, where the robot places the trays in the correct position and then arranges them layer by layer on the pallet. Then we cover it with heat shrinkable paper.
tellerWe've seen how the famous ketchup is made, but how did Heinz become the iconic brand it is today? The Heinz Company was founded in 1869 in Pittsburgh by 25-year-old Henry John Heinz, who started his business by selling his mother's horseradish recipe. Over the years, Heinz expanded its catalog and began selling pickles, vinegar, and then ketchup, which it launched in 1876. The ketchup was a huge success, and in 1886 the company began shipping it to Great Britain. After ketchup gained huge popularity, the company began producing 13 million bottles annually and exporting them all over the world. That's why there's always Heinz ketchup.
