Inside the ketchup war: what happened after the Heinz factory closed in Leamington, Ont.
How a viral Facebook post changed the way Canada feels about ketchup
By John Diemer, executive producer, The Ketchup War
Ketchup has always been a part of my life. It's a staple in my refrigerator and can be found on the table at nearly every restaurant I visit, always next to the napkins.
The comforting red sauce can be added to anything that needs a kick of sweetness. When I was a kid, it was a go-to saviour for many meals. Unsalted fries, dry mac and cheese, Mom's overcooked meatloaf — all were made more delicious with a good coating of the king of condiments.
Many Canadians love ketchup, of course. But it's an even more prominent condiment for me because I grew up in Essex County, Ont.: home of Leamington, the "Tomato Capital of Canada."
'Everyone knew someone who felt lucky to be a part of the [Heinz] company'
For more than 100 years, the Heinz factory was like a god in Leamington. By 2014, it employed around 1,000 full-time and seasonal employees, and hundreds more, indirectly, on nearby farms.
Everyone knew someone who felt lucky to be a part of the company, someone whose family paid rent and had food on the table thanks to that job. Heinz also helped create infrastructure for the town, including baseball fields and arenas, and hosted festivals and picnics. But just like any god, Heinz giveth and Heinz taketh away.
In 2013, I was no longer living in Essex County, as my work in the film industry had moved me to Toronto. But when I heard the news that the Heinz plant was closing its doors, I couldn't believe it. How could that be possible?
The Heinz factory seemed like an undying entity that belonged to Leamington and the people who lived there. But just like that, it was shuttering, catching the whole town off guard and leaving residents feeling like they had been hit in the face with a rotten tomato.
I remember going back to Leamington during this time. The whole place just felt sad; the community was in collective mourning, and people were angry and heartbroken. The lively, confident tomato town I had once known had lost its beating heart, and the tomato industry that supported so many was flatlining. Who was going to save it?
French's to the rescue
Enter U.S. condiment maker French's, who was well known for its classic yellow mustard and had a bone to pick with Heinz.
Heinz had recently started making mustard, which French's did not appreciate. Instead of dropping back and protecting its business, French's saw Heinz's exodus from Leamington as a chance to strike back.
For the first time in its hundred-year history, French's started to make ketchup. And they did it in Canada, using tomatoes grown near Leamington and processed by Highbury Canco, which had taken over operations of the former Heinz plant. Soon, many of the jobs that had been lost so quickly came back, the community rallied and things began to get better.
Brian Fernandez, the man who started a ketchup war
Brian Fernandez is a construction worker from the small town of Orillia, Ont. In 2016, he made a simple Facebook post in support of Canadian-made French's ketchup, ending it with "Bye. Bye. Heinz."
Overnight, the post went viral. Thousands of other patriotic condiment fans chimed in, liking and sharing Fernandez's sentiment. All of the sudden, he was in the news and causing a stir.
Around the same time, grocery store giant Loblaws made the mistake of removing French's ketchup from their shelves without warning, claiming there was no interest in the product. It didn't take long for a social media storm to brew, prompting Loblaws to backpedal and bring French's ketchup back to their stores.
As I watched all of this happen online and on the news, I couldn't help but feel proud of Leamington and the country that rallied behind it.
Being a filmmaker, I wanted to tell the story in a new way. I reached out to my friend and director Brent Hodge to pitch the idea, then we were off and running. We started this project in 2019, but the pandemic hit shortly after, and it was difficult to get many interviews because of the lockdowns. In 2022, we were able to start back up again and gather new interviews with more big players in the story.
I'm so happy to have finally finished this documentary, and I can't wait to share the story of The Ketchup War with the world.
