Heinz

The H. J. Heinz Company is an American food processing company headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

 History 
Heinz was founded by and is named for Henry J. Heinz, who was born in the United States to German immigrants.

Henry J. Heinz began packing food at Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1869. There he founded Heinz Noble & Company with a friend, L. Clarence Noble, and began marketing horseradish.

The company went bankrupt in 1875. The following year Heinz founded another company, F & J Heinz, with his brother John Heinz and a cousin, Frederick Heinz. One of this company's first products was Heinz Tomato Ketchup.    

In 1888, Heinz bought out his two partners and reorganized the company as the H. J. Heinz Company.   

In 1905, H. J. Heinz was registered, and Heinz became its first president, holding that position for the rest of his life. Under his leadership, the company pioneered processes for sanitary food preparation.

In 1930, Howard Heinz, son of Henry Heinz, helped to fight the downturn of the Great Depression by selling ready-to-serve soups and baby food. They became top sellers.      

During World War II, Heinz helped the UK with food shortages. In the postwar years, factories of the company were built in other countries.     

In 2001, Heinz bought the pasta sauce, dry bouillon and soup business of Borden Foods.     

On February 14, 2013, it was announced that Heinz will be bought by Berkshire Hathaway and 3G Capital for $23 billion. Berkshire Hathaway and 3G would each own half of Heinz, with 3G manage the company. The acquisition was completed in June of that year.

On October 25, 2013, fast-food chain McDonald's announced it would end its 40-year relationship with Heinz, after the former Burger King chief Hees became its CEO.

On March 25, 2015, Kraft Foods Group Inc. announced that it would merge with the H. J. Heinz Company, owned by 3G Capital and Berkshire Hathaway Inc., to form the world's fifth-largest food and beverage company. The companies completed the merger on July 2, 2015.      

 Products 
The company produces beans, dressings, pastas, sauces, soups.

 References 

Category:1860s establishments in Pennsylvania
Category:1869 establishments in the United States
Category:2015 disestablishments in the United States
Category:American food companies
Category:Companies based in Pennsylvania
Category:Pittsburgh