Heinz 57: the slogan that was a number the owner just liked

In 1896, Henry Heinz was riding an elevated train in New York City when he saw an advertisement for a shoe store boasting '21 styles.' He was struck by the number and decided his own company needed a slogan. Heinz sold more than 60 different products at the time — pickles, ketchup, horseradish, baked beans, and dozens more. But he chose '57' because 5 was his lucky number and 7 was his wife's lucky number. He also said 7 had a 'psychological influence' and 'enduring significance to people of all ages.'

The slogan '57 Varieties' appeared on every Heinz product label. It was not accurate — the company had more than 60 products — but it was memorable. The number was printed on bottles, jars, cans, and crates. It appeared in advertising, on delivery wagons, and on the Heinz factory gates. The slogan became so synonymous with the company that by 1940, Heinz launched a steak sauce called 'Heinz 57,' named after the slogan rather than the recipe.

The inaccuracy of the number never mattered. Consumers did not count the varieties — they remembered the brand. '57' became a shorthand for Heinz itself, a number that stood for quality and variety even though it represented neither. The company continued to grow, introducing new products that were never reflected in the slogan. The number remained fixed on the label, unchanged for decades.

Heinz grew into one of the largest food companies in the world. The '57 Varieties' label appeared on products sold in over 200 countries. The number that Henry Heinz chose arbitrarily on a train ride — his lucky number, his wife's lucky number, nothing more — became one of the most enduring slogans in American business history. A number that was wrong from the day it was printed stayed on the label for over a century.