Case | HBS Case Collection | 2001 (Revised from original 2001 version)

Henry Heinz: Making Markets for Processed Foods

by Nancy F. Koehn

Abstract

Outlines many of the supply-side innovations, such as improved transportation, communication, and technological developments, that greatly expanded the productive capacity of the United States in the late 19th century. Explores a range of demand-side shifts, including rising incomes, population growth, and urbanization, that changed consumers' wants and needs. These developments, taken together with those on the supply side, altered the nature of the American economy, ushering in widespread industrialization, markets of unprecedented size, and consumption on an entirely new scale. Investigates how, within this context, H.J. Heinz created a successful food-processing business in the last three decades of the 19th century.

Keywords: History; Competition; Innovation Strategy; Success; Brands and Branding; Human Needs; Entrepreneurship; Growth and Development; Innovation and Invention; Food and Beverage Industry; United States;

Citation:

Koehn, Nancy F. "Henry Heinz: Making Markets for Processed Foods." Harvard Business School Case 801-289, August 2001. (Revised from original February 2001 version.)