A new exhibit that opened this weekend at the Senator John Heinz History Center celebrates the 145-year history of the H.J. Heinz Company.
Pittsburgh-based Heinz has evolved into one of the world’s largest food processing companies since its founding in 1869.
“The Heinz Company has been important to Pittsburgh for 145 years and we think the History Center is the right place to tell that story,” said Andy Masich, president and CEO of the History Center.
The exhibit includes rare artifacts from more than a century of operating, including a recipe book from 1869, H.J. Heinz’s desk set and hundreds of Heinz bottles.
It also features an 11-foot ketchup bottle made up of more than 400 individual bottles and video loops of vintage television ads.
But that’s not all.
“You can expect to see 570 objects from Heinz’s past, from the earliest glass bottles to the first pickle pin, right up to the present and some of the innovative things that are happening today,” Masich said. “You’ll also get a sense of the innovation that has always been part of the Heinz tradition: innovation in advertising, innovation in pure foods and innovation in corporate management and communication.”
Today, Heinz sells more than 5,700 products in 200 countries. The company has come a long way since H.J. Heinz began packing food in Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania in the 1860s, according to Masich.
Former Burger King CEO Bernando Hees took over as Heinz CEO in June 2013, and said the company is heading in a positive direction.
“I’m very proud and very humbled to be in this position,” Hees said. “I think we have a history that we have a lot to celebrate, but our future prospective is very, very bright.”
Admission to the History Center is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors (age 62+), $6 for students and children (age 6-17) and free for children under age 5.
