HEINZ ENTERS THE BBQ SAUCE MARKET

PRESS RELEASE

After a successful launch into yellow mustard last year, Heinz is now entering another new category: BBQ. Heinz released five new BBQ sauces, created in partnership with five American pitmasters.

Heinz BBQ sauces are a collection of authentic, regional sauces. Heinz worked with Pitmaster Partners and used 100% natural, locally-inspired ingredients and recipes to craft each BBQ sauce – Kansas City Sweet & Smoky, Memphis Sweet & Spicy, Texas Bold & Spicy, Carolina Tangy Vinegar, and Heinz Classic Sweet & Thick – each with flavor as distinct as the regional barbecue taste it represents.

The launch of Heinz’s new BBQ Sauces is supported by a new campaign, “Pitmasters, not Spokespeople,” which features the Heinz Pitmaster Partners: Joe and Mike Pearce (Kansas City), Dan Brown (Memphis), Robert Sierra (Texas) and Sam Jones (Carolina). As part of the campaign, the TV commercial showcases the delicious new BBQ sauces alongside the real pitmasters who partnered with Heinz on each of them. In a funny, blooper-reel style spot, we see that while these pitmasters are masters at perfecting delicious-tasting, authentic BBQ sauces, they may not be masters of being traditional “spokespeople.”

“As interest in BBQ continues to grow across the country, people are becoming more aware that different regions have different styles of sauce, but we know that a lot of consumers are reluctant to try a sauce from a brand they don’t know and trust,” said Jessica Ryan, Director of Marketing at The Kraft Heinz Company. “Our new line of BBQ sauces will make it easier for people to explore these flavors, because they combine the BBQ expertise and passion of top pitmasters with the trust and experience of Heinz.”

New Heinz BBQ Sauces include:

Kansas City Style Sweet & Smoky BBQ Sauce: Rooted in generations of barbeque tradition, great Kansas City style barbeque is a balance of thick, sweet and tangy. Heinz teamed up with Kansas City natives and award-winning Pitmasters, Joe and Mike Pearce, to craft a Kansas City style sauce that is a blend of that sweet and smoky flavors.

Memphis Style Sweet & Spicy BBQ Sauce: From the birthplace of Rock ‘n Roll, the tradition of Memphis barbeque is rich and sweet with spice. To create a Memphis style barbeque sauce, Heinz teamed up with Dan Brown of Memphis’ own Leonard’s PIT Barbeque — a barbeque institution since 1922. With sweet brown sugar and the flavors of the region’s traditional dry rubs, this is a sweet and spicy sauce.

Texas Style Bold & Spicy BBQ Sauce: In Texas, Heinz teamed up with Robert Sierra, Pitmaster of the Texas State Grand Champion S&S Pit Crew competition BBQ team from San Marcos, Texas. This sauce combines spices like cumin and chili powder for a sauce that’s bold and flavorful.

Carolina Vinegar Style Tangy BBQ Sauce: Heinz teamed up with third-generation pitmaster Sam Jones, of the legendary Skylight Inn BBQ in Ayden, North Carolina to craft a true Carolina style sauce that blends the distinctive tang of apple cider with a bit of sweet and spice.

Classic Sweet & Thick BBQ Sauce: Heinz Barbeque team has traveled the country and spoke with the nation’s top Pitmasters to deliver a sauce that captures the flavors of American barbeque. This sauce is a true classic – sweet, thick, balanced and 100% natural.

All five of the New Heinz BBQ sauces come in Heinz’s iconic, upside-down squeezable bottle and are available at retailers nationwide in 20-ounce bottles with a suggested retail price of $2.49.

AVISO: Always check for the hechsher.