Maybe it’s 57 ingredients.
Maybe it’s 57 tomatoes.
Maybe it’s a secret production code.
Maybe it has something to do with the recipe.
Maybe your parents or grandparents once told you a story about it.
But the real answer is much less complicated—and arguably much more charming.
It was a clever marketing idea.
Henry Heinz saw another company’s advertisement, recognized the appeal of a memorable number, and created his own slogan.
He chose 57 even though his company already had more than 60 products.
The number stuck.
And it never left.
## What Your Dad May Have Been Remembering
If your dad used to tell you something about the number 57, there’s a good chance he was referring to the famous **“57 Varieties”** slogan.
Maybe he told you that Heinz had 57 products.
Maybe he said it was a secret number.
Maybe he had his own family explanation for it.
But if what you’re trying to remember is the historical story, the key facts are these:
**57 does not mean there are 57 kinds of ketchup.**
**It does not mean there are 57 ingredients.**
**It does not mean 57 tomatoes go into each bottle.**
Instead, the number comes from a marketing slogan created by Henry J. Heinz in the late nineteenth century. Inspired by an advertisement promoting “21 styles” of shoes, he wanted a similarly memorable number for his own company. He settled on 57, reportedly influenced by his and his wife’s lucky numbers and by his belief in the psychological appeal of seven.
And here’s the funny part:
**Heinz already sold more than 60 products when he introduced the slogan.**
So “57 Varieties” wasn’t really a factual count at all.
It was branding.
Brilliant branding, as it turns out.
## The Legacy of Heinz’s Lucky Number
Today, the number 57 is so strongly associated with Heinz that it has become almost inseparable from the brand.
It has appeared on ketchup bottles and other Heinz products for generations. The company has even used the number in modern marketing campaigns, demonstrating just how powerful the association remains.
