About
The Team
Past Issues
Competition
Contact Us
Submissions
Celebrity Connections
Ned
Over 90% of households in the UK buy baked beans and we all know the �magical fruit� ditty inside out. It�s a symbol of supermarkets, students and flatulence, but where did the humble fibre packed little bean originate?
Well beans are meant to have originated from Peru and were then carried around the world by soldiers. They�ve been found in digs dating back to 7,000 BC and people reckon the Egyptians thought they were a symbol of life.
But more recently Heinz has become the market leader in the bean sector of the economy, but it�s also the most pricey brand, coming in at just under 50p for the smallest tin. It all started in 1869 when Henry J Heinz, a man from Pittsburg in America created the first beans in tomato sauce. He started working in the food market when he was just 15 and revolutionised it by bottling vegetables like horse radish in clear jars so people could see what they were buying. He also fought for laws against additives and colouring so was well ahead of his time! They ran the British side of the business from near the tower of London and set up the first bean factory in Britain in 1928. The first beans cost the equivalent of �1.50 a tin because they were imported, but soon this dropped to 2p a tin! Their slogan of �Beanz Meanz Heinz� was
Today 1.5 million cans of beans are made every day, which makes about 550 million a year and shows you how many this country munches through!