Heinz's Iconic Glass Ketchup Bottle Makes A Comeback To Celebrate A Major Milestone
Heinz is synonymous with ketchup, and its classic glass bottle is iconic. You can still find them at restaurants across America — although some aren't actually Heinz. Heinz stopped production of glass bottles for consumers in the 1990s, and by the early 2000s, they were gone from store shelves with the exception of a few promotional re-releases. Plastic squeeze bottles were considered more convenient, but Heinz still remembers where it came from. The company is bringing its classic glass bottle back for its 157th anniversary.
A 157th anniversary is not usually a landmark, but Heinz has leaned into the number 57 since the late 1800s. Even though the company makes more than 57 products, the famous "57 varieties" slogan is part of Heinz's brand identity. To mark the occasion, 14-ounce, eight-sided glass bottles are available from May 20 and sold exclusively at Walmart. The anniversary celebration includes a video set to Willie Nelson's "All of Me," showing a day in the life of a glass ketchup bottle. It travels from customer to customer as they each try different hacks to get ketchup out of a glass bottle.
As with previous releases of the glass bottle, this is not a permanent change. The anniversary bottles are of a limited supply and only available while supplies last. They could be gone from shelves pretty quickly.
Heinz glass bottles are a return to nostalgia and slow pours
Henry J. Heinz first bottled his ketchup in 1876. Though it may not seem significant today, using a clear bottle was bold at the time. Many other products sold in glass bottles used colored glass, which obscured the contents. Heinz went with clear glass to showcase that the ketchup was made with high-quality ingredients, including tomatoes sourced from all around the world.
About a decade later, Heinz introduced an octagonal bottle to prevent knockoffs. This shape is still used in the commercial bottles found in restaurants today. However, as beloved as the glass bottle may be, it was notoriously slow at dispensing ketchup. The bottles were so well known for this issue that Heinz even released instructions on the best angle and technique.
It wasn't until 1983 that the company introduced a plastic squeeze bottle alongside the glass, making the slow-pour problem obsolete. But some people still prefer the glass bottle because of the nostalgia of mastering the perfect pour — whether that involves slamming the bottom, holding it at the right angle, or the "tap the 57" method. If you've been missing out on the glass bottle ketchup experience, get to Walmart to pick one up while you still can.