Plantable Label Turns Consumers into Farmers

Heinz Ketchup is one of the most popular condiments in the world yet many people say they don’t believe that the brand’s delicious ketchup is made of tomatoes. To prove that is this vegetable that gives a distinctive flavor to the company’s signature sauce, Heinz Brasil decided to invite consumers for a “DIY gardening project.”

While the “chicken and egg” problem continues to be a dilemma, in the case of ketchup, it is pretty obvious which one comes first: The tomato — the main ingredient that gives the condiment its unique taste. To celebrate it, the brand joined hands with agency Africa and launched the “Plantable Label,” part of the “Tomato First” campaign, inviting consumers to discover this world of “Ketchup, but tomato first.”

The action turns people from consumers to farmers, enabling them to be part of the cultivating process thanks to Heinz’s clever idea of infusing the labels of its ketchup bottles with life. So, what appears to be a seemingly simple label is, in fact, a packaging that allows consumers to plant Heinz Seeds and grow Heinz tomatoes.

The idea for the initiative is based on a consumers’ insight: “We noticed that many people still do not believe Heinz Ketchup is essentially made of tomato. With this action, we wish to show that our ketchup has this distinct flavor because we put tomato in the first place, from our seeds, Heinz Seeds, which we plant and cultivate at home. The Plantable Label reinforces Heinz Ketchup quality and superiority, praising our main ingredient and invites the consumer to take part and understand more about this process,” explains Luana Sa, Brand Building Manager, Heinz BR.

The campaign puts the tomato in the spotlight, highlighting that the ketchup’s naturalness and superior quality comes from Heinz cultivating the vegetables following the strictest standards. The Heinz-seed-infused label is available as a limited edition and comes as a gift to consumers who do their shopping online at a supermarket chain in Sao Paolo for a limited period of time.