why is it called heinz 57

It’s called Heinz 57 because of a catchy old marketing slogan, not because there were exactly 57 products.

The core story

• In 1896, company founder Henry J. Heinz coined the slogan “57 Varieties” to suggest a big, trustworthy range of foods.

• At that time, Heinz actually sold more than 60 products, so the number was never literal inventory.

• Heinz reportedly liked the sound of 57, combining his own lucky number 5 with his wife’s lucky number 7, and believed 7 had a special psychological appeal.

How “57” became the name

• The phrase “57 Varieties” became so associated with the brand that “Heinz 57” turned into a shorthand way of referring to the company and its products.

• By around 1940, Heinz used that recognition to name a steak sauce “Heinz 57,” directly borrowing from the famous slogan.

Cultural meaning today

• “Heinz 57” is now both a specific steak sauce brand and a general nickname people use for mixed or varied things (like a “Heinz 57 dog” for a mixed-breed).

• The number 57 has stuck for more than a century mainly because it is memorable, simple, and tightly tied to the Heinz story, not because it ever counted real varieties.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.