Tomatoes

Our expertise in tomatoes dates back to the origins of our Company, when founder Henry John Heinz introduced his brand of tomato ketchup in 1876. Heinz has been developing proprietary tomato varieties since the 1930s to ensure that the tomatoes we use meet our gold standard.

HeinzSeed

We started HeinzSeed in 1970 to meet the challenge of creating natural tomato varieties that are adapted to various global climates and best suited for processing. HeinzSeed produces non-genetically modified (GMO) hybrid tomato seeds for sustainable characteristics through traditional breeding techniques that ensure the highest quality, nutrition and taste when the tomato is harvested and processed.

HeinzSeed is a market share leader, recognized globally for delivering superior consistency of good-tasting, processed tomato varieties with some of the highest field performance in the world. We supply six billion hybrid tomato seeds each year to our farmers and processing partners in more than 30 countries, including the U.S., China, Southeast Asia, India, Spain, Portugal, the Middle East, Africa, Caribbean nations and Latin America. In fact, 30% of the world’s processed tomatoes are grown using Heinz® seeds.

Grown Not Made Commercial
 
6 billion seeds

Our renowned team has invested decades of research to develop nearly
100 different tomato varieties that:

  • Taste superior
  • Produce a higher yield
  • Remain ripe longer
  • Resist disease
  • Require less water
Tomato Harvester

Our agricultural team travels the world to identify and educate qualified growers who want to cultivate Heinz tomatoes in a responsible and profitable manner.

Learn More About our Sustainable Tomato Production Efforts:

Portuguese Sustainability Highlights

Tomato Seeder

Heinz is one of the largest users of tomatoes in Europe. Ensuring that we have the right amount of the highest quality tomatoes in the right place at the right time is not just a science but also an art that requires a commitment to quality and cooperation with our suppliers and processors. These processes and techniques are part of the Sustainable Agriculture Farming Systems, enabling the growers to increase acreage and improve productivity while respecting the environment.

Our tomato-growing efforts in Portugal are just one example of how the Heinz Good Agricultural Practices are being implemented around the world.

Some of our many practices include:

  • Field Quality Crop Book: Since 1999, Heinz has specified that growers record and monitor all farming practices. This procedure provides extensive crop record-keeping from soil preparation all the way to harvesting, so all crop inputs and management events are registered. The completed crop book helps to ensure transparency, food safety and traceability as it allows Heinz to track the product from field to paste. It also helps to identify future improvements in our agricultural programs.
  • Organization of Producers/Growers: Growers participate in this association to negotiate prices with processors. The organization also provides technical support
  • Minimum use of pesticides: Heinz has initiated strict programs to reduce the amount of pesticides used
  • Testing programs: Heinz expects growers to conduct regular testing of irrigation water, soil (heavy metals and fertilization) and pesticide use

Specific to our European tomato crops, our agricultural staff review Key Performance Indicators (KPI) routinely to help us better understand our progress. A sampling of KPIs include:

  • Plug Seedling and Mechanical Transplanting: These techniques represented 100% of Heinz’s crops in 2008, up from just 60% in 1999. Rather than giving farmers bare-rooted seedlings, growers are provided with healthy plug seedlings that are transplanted to the field using automated equipment where they will grow, flower, set, ripen and be harvested. This process enables mechanical processing to occur in a more efficient manner since the seedlings experience concentrated flowering and ripening periods.
    • Watering Crops
  • Drip Irrigation: Drip irrigation is a proven conservation technique that ensures water reaches only the roots of the plant where it is most needed.
  • HeinzSeed Usage: The use of HeinzSeed by our tomato growers has increased dramatically, from zero in 1991 to 90% in 2008. HeinzSeed is proven to increase field yields, improve tomato firmness, provide higher viscosity and field holding, resist disease and be better adapted for growing, bulk transportation and processing. The HeinzSeed program has been developing new hybrid varieties best suited to different environments, climatic conditions and growing techniques. The results of the HeinzSeed program have provided optimal yield with minimal inputs.
  • Yield (MT/Ha): Improved management techniques (plug seedling, drip irrigation use and management, fertilization, etc.) and the use of HeinzSeed varieties have helped to increase the average field yields by 50% in the last 10 years (58 MT/Ha in 1999 and 90 MT in 2008).
  • Average Grower Size (MT/grower): The average grower size has increased significantly during the last decade, from 380 MT in 1999 to 1,826 MT in 2008. 
  • Total Production of the European Country: The country production average in the last 10 years is approximately 950,000 MT.

Egyptian Farmer Transforms Life with HeinzSeed and Heinz Good Agriculture Practices

Emad Abdel Wahab Mohamed, the director of a farm in the Luxor region of Upper Egypt, had a life-changing experience in 2006, when he began growing tomatoes the Heinz way.

Egypt

Pictured here is Gary King, Manager of Heinz Global Agriculture Technologies and Emad Abdel Wahab Mohamed, director of a farm in the Luxor region of Upper Egypt.

He heard about the Heinz Good Agriculture Program and asked to participate even though he had never grown tomatoes before. After faithfully attending seminars and studying Heinz’s agriculture handbooks, Emad purchased five acres of HeinzSeed plug transplants. He carefully implemented every step of his new-found knowledge and experienced a transplant survival rate of 99%, far greater than the local average of less than 65%. Encouraged by his success, Emad ordered ten more acres of plug transplants. Once again, 99% of the plants survived.

As the plants grew and transformed the field into a sea of red, ripe tomatoes, Emad followed the Heinz system as he implemented soil improvements, monitored water use, reduced chemical applications and applied proper nutrients. When the fruit was finally harvested, his efforts yielded him an income of $2,134 (£12,000 Egyptian pounds) per acre, six times the norm of $356 (£2,000 pounds) per acre.

Emad attributes his success to following the Heinz Good Agriculture Program. After seeing the fruits of his labor, other Egyptian growers are joining the program and experiencing success. While Emad’s results improved the earth and inspired others, no one has benefited more than his own family. 

Thanks to his successful tomato crop, Emad is now generating enough income to transform his family’s life. He purchased a car and rents it to others as another source of income, and he has invested in both a gift shop for tourists and a local furniture company.

Emad’s success proves that sustainability is more than good agricultural practices and efficient processes. Being sustainable improves the quality of life, contributes to the local economy and ensures a future for the next generation. For Emad, it all began with a commitment to plant a few Heinz tomato seeds. And now look what he has grown.

Water Management Critical to Growing Tomatoes

Water management and proper irrigation are the single most important aspects of growing tomatoes. Since processing tomatoes requires water in sufficient quantities at various critical periods in the growth cycle, the availability and quality of water are critical. We help farmers design efficient systems to deliver only the water that crops need so water loss is reduced, pollution risks are minimized and soil nutrients are protected. 

The use of drip irrigation systems is one of the most efficient water management practices encouraged by our team. This practice is effective because water is delivered in concentrated amounts closer to the plant’s roots, requiring less overall water consumption. A key component of our education efforts is instruction on how to maintain irrigation systems and determine the correct amounts of water plants need to thrive.