Irving Company Loses Ketchup Bottle Fight With Heinz
IRVING, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - The Heinz company considers its ketchup bottle a unique part of American history. To that end, an Irving company found itself in a legal pickle when it's bottle looked remarkably similar.
Heinz says it's unique ketchup bottle has not only been on the grocery shelves since the 1890's, it's also patented. So when the Irving-based Figueroa Brothers began marketing its ketchup under the "Melinda's Habanero Ketchup" brand and put it in a very similar bottle, Heinz gave it a chili reception.
Nobody says Figueroa Brothers Gormet Foods can't sell ketchup, it just can't sell ketchup in bottles that look so similar to the ones Heinz uses.
UNT professor Dr. Francisco Guzman says it's Marketing 101. He spoke with 1080 KRLD about the branding dispute.
Ketchup Bottle Fight
Guzman says consumers identify with a product's package, in this case a ketchup bottle, even if it's easier to get the stuff out of a plastic bottle anyhow.
Figueroa Brothers has until the end of the year to change its bottle.
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