Heinz penetrates RP market

Global food giant HJ Heinz Co. has entered the Philippine market with its world-famous Heinz Tomato Ketchup.

The move forms part of Heinz’s globalization strategy, which involves a joint venture with NutriAsia, maker of the country‘s leading ketchup brands, as the key to its expansion into the Philippines.

The joint venture, which has given birth to Heinz-UFC Philippines, provides HJ Heinz Co. with a dominant local partner and a strong foothold in the Philippine market.

At the same time, Heinz widens UFC’s brand portfolio and completes its brand presence in all segments of the ketchup market. Locally, ketchup is the third most consumed condiment, next only to soy sauce and vinegar.

Known as the world‘s leading tomato ketchup, Heinz has a 50-percent share of the US retail ketchup market, which is twice that of its nearest competitor. The company produces more than a billion ounces of Heinz Ketchup a year.

Heinz Ketchup and its variants are popular in Germany, France, Great Britain, Spain, Portugal, Canada, Australia, Zimbabwe, Indonesia, the Netherlands, Venezuela, Italy, Eastern Europe and Korea, among others.

Thus, Heinz is widely described as the "world’s number one premium, high-quality brand of packaged reds."

"Heinz Ketchup sits proudly atop restaurant tables everywhere in the world, Heinz’s flagship ketchup, condiments and sauces business has been growing about seven percent a year," company chairman Bill Johnson said.

Johnson cited sales of over $9 billion, products of more than 5,700 varieties, and a workforce of 46,900 people in the company’s over 20 major locations worldwide.

With a long history that dates back to 1869, H.J. Heinz Co. has become synonymous with high-quality nutritional products.

The company is the world’s largest maker of processed tomato products, with Heinz Ketchup topping its 22 power brands worldwide, each with annual sales exceeding $100 million.

"Our power brands command number one or number two market shares in more than 50 countries," Johnson added.

Almost half of the company’s sales are from outside the US.

Heinz Wattie’s is the leading food brand in New Zealand; Heinz UK tops the soup, beans, and pasta categories; while Heinz’s Plada in Italy markets three great baby food brands: Plasmon, Dieterba, and Nipiol.

Controlling 20 percent of the global tuna market, Heinz’s Starkist Tuna is the number one brand in the US, which accounts for 30 percent of world tuna consumption.

Heinz is also the world leader in infant feeding, with a market share of around 60 percent in the UK and 90 percent in Italy, Canada, and Australia, as well as a fast-growing business in the world’s two most-populated countries – India and China.

More than 60 products of HJ Heinz have been on the market since 1869, most of which are market leaders such as canned fruits and vegetables, baby food, tuna, fish, potatoes, and frozen entrees.