You just sit down to the dinner table to a juicy, mouthwatering steak and fries, and as you notice the steam rising from the plate you also see that big red bottle of ketchup sitting within reach. If you are like me, you next thought would be “I wonder who the person was that came up with ketchup in a bottle?”

Well, there was a boy named Henry John Heinz. Heinz was the son of a German immigrant and grew up in western Pennsylvania. He loved working in the garden and would sell the surplus vegetables in town. By the age of 12, he planted his own garden, had a horse drawn cart and a list of customers. He began selling horseradish using his mother’s recipe. Others sold horseradish, but they sold it in dark colored jars, and you couldn’t see it. Heinz started selling it in clear jars and also offered samples to his customers.

In 1861, at the age of 17, Heinz made about $2,400, which would be about $43,000 dollars today. In 1861, most foods were sold out of barrels and jars, but Heinz sold his products out of jars and bottles with labels. His business went down greatly in 1873 in what was known as the Depression Panic of 1873.

Heinz borrowed $3,000 dollars and formed the F&J Heinz Co. By the end of 1876, the business generated $44,474 in revenue which is about $665,000 today. In 1890, he designed a screw cap and octagon-shaped bottle for its ketchup.

Ketchup was first spelled “cetchup” on the bottles but was later changed. In 1879, Heinz bought out his partners and named his company H.J. Heinz Co. In 1869, revenues were in the thousands but now reach tens of billions.

In 1919, Henry John Heinz died at the age of 75 from pneumonia. His son, Howard Heinz, took over the operations of H.J. Heinz Co., and today has more than 110 major locations worldwide, with leading brands in over six continents. It’s hard to believe that a 12-year-old boy could have a vision to start a company that is now worth tens of billions of dollars.

So the next time you sit down at the table and open that bottle of Heinz Ketchup, you know the history behind the label and the boy that started it all. Now we can both say, why didn’t I think of that? The Louisiana Treasures Museum has some of the old ketchup bottles on display. For more information and hours of operation, call Wayne Norwood at 225-294-8352.

Wayne Norwood is a lieutenant with the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Department and owner and operator of the Louisiana Treasures Museum.