I Interview Dan Oliver, CEO of W Ketchup™
Published August 29, 2004
4 - Why should non-Kerry supporters buy your product, instead of, say, Hunt's (other than the fact that Hunt's tastes like the backside of a red river hog), or a store-brand?
If there had been a viable alternative to Heinz, I'm not sure we would have spent so much time and effort doing this. The reality is that Heinz controls most of the ketchup market, and most of the other brands just don't taste very good. I think to most Americans, Hunt's just says cheap. What we are offering is a premium product that actually tastes better than Heinz. And one look at our label shows that our product supports an image of America that most ketchup eaters agree with. The flag, George Washington, minutemen, guns: that's what America is really about at its core. Guns don't symbolize criminal machismo, as liberals would have people believe, they symbolize masculine responsibility and limited government, two things the liberals on the coasts hate, and two of the main pillars of America. Our ad campaign works because it's sincere. We do support these things, and that comes through, and that's why we've had such a tremendous response.
5 - Any luck yet in getting major supermarket chains to place your product on their shelves?
We are talking to a few chains. As we've discovered, the food industry works on razor thin margins and long-term relationships. It's frustrating because we get a lot of calls from restaurants and smaller chains that want to carry W Ketchup, but with high shipping costs and no distribution centers, it's hard for us to get it to them at a price that makes sense. Hopefully, as we expand, we can solve those issues and make sure everyone who wants W Ketchup can have it!
6 - I just purchased a four-pack of your product from your Website. When it arrives in a few days, how will it differ in taste from Heinz?
Just about every American takes Heinz for granted. I certainly did. It wasn't until our taste test that I realized what a harsh and vinegary taste Heinz has. W Ketchup has a smoother, more interesting taste. We have been at taste tests where the token Democrats strain and sweat, trying to make sure they choose Heinz. It's pretty easy to tell which one is Heinz because of all the vinegar. Well, when neutral parties are choosing, W usually wins.
- I Interview Dan Oliver, CEO of W Ketchup™
- Published: August 29, 2004
- Type:
- Section: Politics
- Filed Under: Tastes: Food and Drink, Interviews
- Writer: RJ Elliott
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That's odd, Jim. I didn't imagine you to be a steak eater. I had you pegged as either a vegan or a cannibal.
When in Canada, I rather enjoy the ketchup. It is spiced differently than American ketchup, even when comparing Heinz to Heinz. It is sweeter, and has some other spices I can't quite put a finger on. RJ, you really need to have your dear pal Jim send a bottle to you.
Meanwhile, here in Indiana, we enjoy Red Gold. It is manufactured just two counties north of me and is abundantly available throughout the midwest. It is not as vinegar-heavy as Heinz, just like Mr. Oliver describes his 'W' ketchup.
Mike,
I suggest you try some "W" Ketchup. It's pretty damn good, and some of the proceeds go to a good cause.
And everything is made here in the good ol' USA, including the bottles!
Wow. How interesting.
Two geniuses discuss a red sugar substance.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
someday, a million years from now, someone will dig up a computer and find this particular blog on it. this will be proof how insane the world became in 2004.
ketchup has become a political issue.
i am glad bill del monte or the chef boy r. dee's are not running for anything.
jack
mmmmm, long pork. Though you really need to use a ginger-molasses-cayenne-vinegar marinade, and then slow cook it in a steel smoker. None of that red industrial glop.
What's next, politically oriented individually wrapped cheez slices?
I'm actually surprised that Republicrat yahoos aren't keeping to the party line, preaching abstinence instead of promoting promiscuous use of condiments.
Del Monte and United Fruit used the US Marines as part of political food policy over the past century many times in Honduras, Cuba, Nicaragua,, and so on.
Before Banana Republic was a retail chain, it was a key part of US foreign policy, brutal, murderous dictatorships, enforced by US troops.
i use Uncle Dave's Ketchup from vermont.
all natural. kosher. no icky sweeteners.
no politics.
i am going to stop eating pineapples because of that red cross whore...liz dole and her limped penis hubby bob.
Hey, Tadpole:
GFY
gee...GFY?
Good For You?
Girls Feed Yaks?
Greenbeans Float Y'Know?
no, wait...Go Fuck Yourself?
very impressive & eloquent.
and stuff.
I don't see why it has to be political. W ketchup would stand to take a bigger chunk of the market (provided it really is a tasy alternative) if it wasn't directly tied to Republicans. To my knowledge, it makes more business sense to sell to the biggest market possible, which would be anyone looking for an alternative taste not a different political flavor. Heinz may be owned by the wife of the democratic candidate, but it didn't set out to be political. It just wants to be a condiment, so should W.
I think it's fun that it is political, in the thin tradition of Billy Beer and Gold Water. I'd love to see Heinz unveil a 58th Variety in honor of John Kerry, though I can't imagine what would be fitting.
Genius responds while trying to live up to the standards of his hero, Herr Cheney:
"Go Fuck Yourself."
Good job, grasshopper.
i guess telling somebody to go fuck themselves isn't a 'personal attack'.
mebbe it's a term of endearment or something.
Mark, it is, but I fall behind. Anyone who thinks I'm missing something or not getting to something quickly enough should email me through the link on the side. Those emails won't get in with the comment copies.
Although, with Shark, it may have been a term of endearment. I often miss his context.
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I slather it on hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, steak (yes, steak!)
If proof is needed that RJ is a barbarian, here it is (unless that "steak" was previously known as "Trigger").
I can't wait for your review of Victory Gin.