We Can Thank Heinz For The Rise Of Canned Baked Beans

When people think of Heinz, they usually think of ketchup. While ketchup is definitely part of the Heinz legacy, what most people do not know is that Heinz is also the company behind the start of mass-producing canned baked beans. Canning food and baked beans are not exactly new-fangled concepts, but mass production of canned baked beans is all thanks to one Heinz factory in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Canning food dates back to the 1810s when Peter Durand invented a way to seal food in tin cans, which went into commercial use in 1812. Meanwhile, baked beans are rumored to originate from indigenous cuisine; while the origins have yet to be pinned down, it is confirmed that baked beans were popular among American settlers. The two were not commercially combined until brothers Henry and John Heinz decided to add baked beans to their factory's assembly lines in 1895.

The beans, much like the company's ketchup, were a hit, and the rest is now history. The product was officially labeled Heinz Baked Beans in 1901. Production spread to the other Heinz factories and even to other countries, with the product particularly gaining popularity in the United Kingdom. Today, the legacy of Heinz continues on, with home cooks finding more and more creative methods to use canned baked beans in all kinds of dishes.

While many people today may joke online about how much British people love baked beans, there is actually a well-documented history behind this trend. In 1886, before Heinz started mass-producing baked beans in the United States, the company sampled them to curious customers in the United Kingdom to gauge interest. The product became so popular that Heinz opened a factory in South London in 1905. This factory allowed it to lower the price of baked beans, making them less of a luxury product as initially intended and more of an everyday convenience. The drop in price also opened the door to canned baked beans being sold in less exclusive stores, which made the product even more widely available to the public.

When World War II began, the importance of Heinz Baked Beans only skyrocketed. Initially, baked beans were sold with bits of meat, all canned in a tomato sauce. However, meat shortages changed the Heinz Baked Beans recipe in the United Kingdom. The meat was removed and the beans were sold vegetarian throughout World War II as rationed food. Even after the war ended, canned baked beans were still widely used in food rationing due to their convenience and the fact they can be used in multiple dishes. Today, Heinz Baked Beans are still sold without meat, just like they were in World War II, and the popularity of canned baked beans in the United Kingdom shows no signs of slowing down.