Bazil’s journey back through time reveals some very interesting Baked Bean Facts. Enjoy these…
H. J. Heinz began producing canned Baked Beans in 1886
Kraft Heinz is the largest manufacturer of canned baked beans in Europe, while Bush Brothers is the largest producer in the United States
The origins of baked beans are traced to the first peoples of the Americas who began preparing beans using the method of soaking and baking them during ancient history
Evidence of preparing beans in this manner date back to c. 1500 BC in the Maya civilization
British people consume more baked beans than the rest of the world combined.
The beans were first sold as a luxury item at the exclusive London department store Fortnum & Mason. The initial price was prohibitive for most people, equivalent to about £170 in modern money.
After opening its first UK office in 1896, Heinz built a factory in Peckham, South London, in 1905, and began local production in 1928. This move drastically reduced the price, making beans an everyday food.
The original American recipe included small pieces of pork, which were removed during wartime rationing to save precious meat for the war effort. The vegetarian recipe has stuck ever since.
In 1967, Heinz launched its famous and wildly successful advertising slogan,”Beanz Meanz Heinz”. It was created by an advertising executive over two pints of beer and is still recognized as one of the UK’s most memorable slogans.
The Who guitarist Pete Townshend famously posed in a bathtub of beans for a 1967 album cover. Inspired by that, fundraisers often do the same to raise money. In 1986, “Captain Beany” set a world record for the longest time spent in a tub of baked beans.
There is a Baked Bean Museum of Excellence in Port Talbot, in Wales, which is dedicated to, you’ve guessed it, baked beans!
Heinz’s factory in Kitt Green, near Wigan, opened in 1958 and remains one of the largest food factories in Europe, producing over a billion cans a year.
