Talk about intrigue. It’s a movie waiting to be filmed. Talk about worldwide ramifications. Consequences? Not so much, as it turns out.
McDonald’s is firing Heinz as its ketchup-maker (or catsup-maker, if you prefer) of record.
Think about it. Those who allow themselves a fast-food visit now and again certainly have to take in the occasional French Fry. I don’t have any hard data, but anecdotally, the McFries are right up there with the best of them. And it figures, if you sell a lot of fries, you send out a lot of ketchup. Really. Some people won’t eat fries without ketchup.
So, you gotta figure, from the Heinz point-of-view, being cut off has got to hurt.
Well.
It isn’t like there wasn’t a hint of change in the works. Consumers just didn’t know anything about it. Heinz (the world’s most popular ketchup) is produced in the Pennsylvania area, and a lot of Micky-D’s in the area still serve that brand. Most of the world is squirting out some other red product from those slippery little packets.
Here is the scoop.
A fellow named Bernardo Hees was given the job as Heinz CEO. Hees used to hold that same job at Burger King. (Hint: Burger King is the main competition for McDonalds.) The kicker, or final straw? Heinz was also recently brought into the corporate family of 3G Capital and Berkshire Hathaway. (3G Capital owns Burger King.) There were rumors that 3G (owner of Burger King) might cut off the supply of Heinz ketchup to McDonald’s. Ooh. No Bueno.
Heinz: Gone.
Want fries with that?