H. J. Heinz Company (NYSE: HNZ), commonly known as just Heinz, famous for both its "57 Varieties" slogan and its British commercial jingle "Beanz Meanz Heinz", was founded in 1869 by Henry John Heinz in Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania, United States. Heinz, then 25 years old, began by delivering processed condiments to local grocers by horse-drawn wagon.

The company's first product was horseradish, followed by pickles, sauerkraut, and vinegar.

The company was initially named the Anchor Pickle and Vinegar Works, and was run by Heinz and partner L. C. Noble. The name changed to Heinz, Noble & Company in 1872 when E. J. Noble joined on and the company relocated to nearby Pittsburgh.

After a banking panic forced him into bankruptcy in 1875, Heinz restarted his business with the help of his brother John and his cousin Frederick, and in and the following year they introduced what would become its most well-known product: tomato ketchup. The new company was known as F. & J. Heinz until 1888, when Henry bought controlling interest from his brother and gave the business its current name.

The company's famous slogan, "57 Varieties", was chosen by Henry Heinz in 1892 after he saw an advertisement for "21 varieties of shoes" in an elevated train car in New York. In actuality, the company was producing over sixty different products at the time, but Heinz chose the number 57 for what his biographer called "occult" reasons.

Another famous slogan is "Beanz Meanz Heinz", used in the 1960s and beyond to advertise their baked beans in the United Kingdom. Variations of this slogan were used over time, such as "A million housewives a day pick up a tin of Beans and say, Beanz Meanz Heinz", or "Don't be mean with the Beans Mum, Beanz Meanz Heinz". In the late-1990s the slogan was changed to "Heinz Buildz Britz", but after a surprise decline in sales, the slogan was quickly reverted back. In recent years, however, the slogan has been used much less. In 2004 they started spelling "Baked Beanz" with a "z" on their beanz, which is seen as a reminder of the slogan.

In 1919 Henry Heinz died, and control of the company passed to his son, Howard Heinz, who was then succeeded by H. J. Heinz II in 1941. By 1972, sales had reached the billion dollar mark. Today, Heinz sells more than 1,300 products worldwide ranging from ketchup to baby food and canned seafood.

H. J. Heinz II's son was United States Senator from Pennsylvania John Heinz, who died in a plane crash on April 4, 1991. His widow, Teresa married U.S. Senator from Massachusetts John Kerry in 1995. Kerry ran unsuccessfully for President in 2004. Thanks to Teresa Heinz Kerry, the 2004 presidential campaign gave the Heinz Company considerable publicity.