Henry’s Horseradish

Twelve-year-old Henry bolted into the kitchen crying, “Look Ma!” and proudly held out his empty basket. An hour before it had been full of fresh produce, grown himself on the family farm in Sharpsburg, PA (near Pittsburgh).

Now his pocket was full—of change. Just as he’d hoped, townswomen had purchased every vegetable.

“Well done, Henry!” exclaimed his mother, ruffling his hair. “Your hard work paid off!”

It wasn’t long after that first sales excursion in 1856 that Henry required a wheelbarrow for his deliveries. By age fifteen, Henry was caring for three-plus acres of produce and required a wagon for transport. Not only did he sell to those nearby, but also to grocers in town.

The teenager became known for his quality produce, positive attitude, and honest business dealings, making his mother proud as he lived up to the Christian principles taught at home and church.

One day he approached his mother with a new possibility. “Could I use your recipe for horseradish and try to sell it along with my vegetables?”

She agreed the area’s German immigrants just might buy the popular sauce, saving them time and nuisance during the busy canning season.

Horseradish had to be grated, which often resulted in nicked knuckles. It also caused the eyes to sting and water—just like onions. As a result, many women of Sharpsburg were glad to forego the chore and buy Henry’s horseradish.

His entrepreneurial instincts led him to additional ways for growing his business. Henry chose white vinegar instead of brown and clear glass bottles instead of the traditional green, even though both were more expensive. The former resulted in a more appetizing product, the latter allowed his customers to see his top quality horseradish–with no fillers like some companies used.

Over the next few years Henry added pickles, sauerkraut, and vinegar to his product-line. He also expanded deliveries to Pittsburgh’s grocers, restaurants, and hotels.

Meanwhile Henry experimented with different seeds, taking careful notes to track results. He arranged for the design of attractive jars and labels to entice even more customers.

At age 24, Henry took on two partners and moved the company to Pittsburgh. They added fruit preserves, mustard, and catsup to the product-line, while expanding their market east and west via the new railroads.

Another important event that year: Henry married Sarah Young. They would have five children; one would die in infancy.

19th Century Pittsburgh

By 1872 the partners employed 150 people during harvesttime, producing 500 barrels of sauerkraut, 15,000 of pickles, and 50,000 of vinegar.

But when the economic Panic of 1873 occurred, Henry and his partners were forced to claim bankruptcy. Deep disappointment sunk him into depression.

Henry soon recovered, however, and determined to rebuild his company by doing what he’d always done—work hard and trust God [1].

With financing from two of his seven siblings and his mother, Henry set about reestablishing himself. Five years later he’d not only achieved success again, he’d repaid all his debts—even though that wasn’t required.

Henry continued adding new products, including apple butter, baked beans, and tomato soup. Always he sought new ways to market his wares, like free pickle pins with the company name, distributed at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago, 1893.

Columbian Exposition 1893

But out of reverence for God, he never allowed his newspaper advertisements to run on Sunday [2].

Henry applied Christian integrity to his treatment of employees, providing many more benefits than other factories including: free dental and health care onsite, lunchtime concerts and lectures, English lessons and assistance to obtain citizenship, and advancement of women to managerial positions.

Henry also “worked hard to encourage his employees to live the ‘righteous life’” [3].

During these years of company-development, Henry taught Sunday School and became a promoter of Sunday Schools not only in Pittsburgh but around the world.

He faithfully tithed his income his entire life beginning with 10%, but increasing over the years until Henry was giving away almost 100% of his income [4].

By 1896, Henry’s company produced over one hundred products. He put a new slogan on each bottle and jar: “57 Varieties,” thinking the number fifty-seven (based on Sarah’s and his favorite numbers) [5], was more memorable than one hundred.

Once again, Henry John Heinz had created a winning marketing strategy as “Heinz 57” became a familiar phrase all over the country.

Throughout his career, Henry kept experimenting to improve his products and production, provide eye-catching packaging, upgrade working conditions for his employees, and expand distribution and marketing.

Before his death in 1919, Heinz products were being produced and sold in Europe as well as all over America.

In his will, Heinz wrote:

“I desire to set forth at the very beginning of this will, as the most important item in it, a confession of my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior.

“I also desire to bear witness to the fact that throughout my life, in which there were unusual joys and sorrows, I have been wonderfully sustained by my faith in God through Jesus Christ. This legacy was left to me by my consecrated mother, a woman of strong faith, and to it I attribute any success I have attained [6].”