Heinz explained that **5 was his lucky number, while 7 was his wife’s lucky number**. He also believed that the number seven had a particular psychological appeal and was memorable to people of different ages.
In other words, 57 sounded right.
It looked right.
And, most importantly, Heinz believed customers would remember it.
That turned out to be an excellent instinct.
The number eventually became one of the most recognizable elements of the Heinz brand.
## So, There Were Never Really 57 Varieties?
That’s correct.
This is probably the biggest surprise for people who have spent years assuming that “57 Varieties” meant Heinz actually offered exactly 57 different foods.
It didn’t.
The number was essentially a branding device.
At the time the slogan appeared, Heinz was already producing more than 60 products. The company’s offerings included foods such as pickles, horseradish, sauces, vinegar, and other preserved products.
So if your father—or someone else in your family—once told you that the 57 represented the number of Heinz products, that explanation wasn’t quite accurate.
The slogan was intended to suggest **variety**, not provide an exact count.
Think of it as a memorable promise: Heinz had lots of choices, and 57 was the number the company chose to represent that idea.
It was marketing rather than mathematics.
## It Wasn’t 57 Ingredients Either
Another common theory is that the number represents the ingredients in Heinz ketchup.
It doesn’t.
Heinz ketchup does not contain 57 ingredients simply because the bottle displays the number 57.
Nor does the number represent the number of tomatoes used to make a bottle.
It has nothing to do with the nutritional composition of the ketchup or a specific measurement in the manufacturing process.
The number comes from the company’s historic **“57 Varieties”** advertising slogan.
That distinction is important because the number has become so closely associated with the ketchup bottle that it is easy to assume it must have something to do with the food inside.
It doesn’t.
It’s a brand symbol.
## Why Is 57 Still on the Bottle Today?
This is perhaps the most impressive part of the story.
The slogan was created more than a century ago, yet the number continues to appear on Heinz packaging.
Why?
Because it worked.
A good brand symbol becomes recognizable even when people don’t consciously think about it. The red-and-white Heinz design, the distinctive bottle, the name Heinz, and the number 57 have become deeply connected in consumers’ minds.
The company itself describes the 57 mark as an enduring part of its identity. Heinz says the number can still be found on many of its products today.
