Upon his death in 1991, 53-year-old John Heinz, III was the richest member of the U.S. Senate. His wealth is testament of the universal popularity of Heinz's wide array of pickles, ketchup, pet foods, baby foods, and health foods. H.J. Heinz has produced thousands of prepared food varieties since 1876, yet its beginnings are humble: the company started with a bankrupt horseradish businessman who needed his cousin's help to start a new ketchup and pickle company. Soon after, the resilient entrepreneur developed a reputation as a marketing wizard. He introduced the popular "57 Varieties" theme in 1897; in 1900, he created a 40-foot electric sign in the shape of a pickle. Presently, Heinz takes almost half of its profits from international business. Its six core categories are ketchup, condiments, and sauces; frozen foods; tuna; soups, beans, and pasta meals; infant foods; and pet food. Famous Heinz brands include Ore-Ida, 9-Lives, Weight Watchers, Wattie's, Bagel Bites, Kibbles 'n Bits, Olivine, and Boston Market.

Star-kissed

Heinz relied upon its traditional product lines of pickles and ketchup until it began to diversify in the 1950s and 1960s. It purchased overseas food processors as well as domestic companies, like Star-Kist tuna and Ore-Ida potatoes. In 1995, Heinz took over 10 other companies, including its largest purchase to date, the pet foods division of Quaker Oats. In 1997, as part of a restructuring effort, Heinz announced that it would close or sell 25 of its plants.

Brains and brawn

In 1998 former rugby star Anthony O'Reilly tapped William Johnson to succeed him as CEO of Heinz. Johnson immediately announced he would increase two things: power at the management level and brand marketing. For the latter, Heinz decided to resume its ketchup television ads after a five-year hiatus. Accordingly, cartoon icon Private Pickle took his place next to the company's other hit characters, Charlie the Tuna and Morris the Cat, in an attempt to market products to the U.S. military. Meanwhile, Ore-Ida Foods and Weight Watchers combined to form the Heinz Frozen Food Company. The streamlining effort axed 400 jobs and one plant. Also in 1998, Heinz sold its bakery products division to Pillsbury for a cool $178 million. In 1999 Johnson announced a $900 million growth and restructuring program, calling for the trimming down of about 10 percent of the company's 40,000-strong workforce and the shutting down of underperforming factories. Heinz hopes to drive sales up three to four percent annually in a one to two percent growth industry.

The global revolution

In 1998 Heinz agreed to buy the convenience meals division of Sonnen Basserman, a German marketer. Moreover, Heinz said it would be placing its ketchup into a single global advertising and brand-image account worth as much as $150 million. In 1999, in an effort to increase efficiency and centralize operations, the company integrated its various sales forces under one roof, the Heinz Sales Co. In 2000 the company also expanded its position in the fast-growing Asian sauces market by acquiring the Yoshida brand and the world's second-largest soy sauce company, ABC Indonesia. Heinz also entered a joint agreement with Nutri Asia, the top producer of ketchup in the Philippines.

Yeah, baby, yeah

In December 1999 Heinz and its Chinese affiliate announced the opening of a food processing facility to produce its first line off reciped baby foods in jars. With more than 20 million babies born each year in China, the company sees lots of potential for growth in that market.

The company further extended its presence in the baby food market in February 2000 by acquiring Milnot Holding Corporation, the maker of Beech-Nut prepared infant food brands, giving it a 24 percent share of the U.S. market. Baby foods account for 11 percent of the company's revenues. In July, however, the Federal Trade Commission voted to file a preliminary injunction blocking the proposed $185 million acquisition of Milnot, citing that the deal could violate antitrust laws by reducing the number of U.S. baby-food marketers from three to two.

Trimming down, Weight Watchers style