W Ketchup
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
W Ketchup is a brand of ketchup made in the United States. The brand was founded by Susie Oliver, Stacey Hughes, Dan Oliver and New York banker Bill Zachary, along with 11 associates during the 2004 Presidential election campaign in reference to that fact that the Democratic candidate John Kerry was married to Teresa Heinz Kerry, who inherited an interest in the H. J. Heinz Company upon the death of her first husband, the Republican Senator from Pennsylvania Henry John Heinz III. However, Teresa Heinz's current holdings amount to under 4% of the company, which is not enough to give her any significant control over the company.[1]
According the company's web site, the "W" in the name officially refers to George Washington, although the single letter is also a common nickname of President George W. Bush. The company boasts of its "Americaness" as its main selling point, claiming the ketchup is made in America using "American ingredients". The company's website criticizes Heinz for owning factories outside the United States. (In reality, Heinz owns factories within the United States as well, although 60% of the ketchup produced by Heinz is actually consumed overseas. [2])
W Ketchup donates a portion of its profits to the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund which provides college scholarships for children whose parents, as active members of the armed forces, were killed, disabled, or classified as POW or MIA.
In marketing and labeling, where Heinz boasts of its 57 varieties, W ketchup simply places a similar sticker with "50 states" in bold letters.
