For generations, families have kept a familiar glass or plastic bottle of Heinz ketchup on their dinner tables.

Whether it was served with hamburgers, french fries, or homemade meatloaf, that famous red bottle became a household staple.

But have you ever noticed the number 57 printed on its label?

Most people have seen it hundreds of times without giving it a second thought.

Some assume it represents the year the company was founded. Others believe Heinz originally made exactly 57 different products.

Both explanations sound reasonable.

But neither tells the real story.

The number actually dates back to an unusual moment in the 1890s, when company founder Henry J. Heinz spotted an advertisement that gave him a brilliant marketing idea.

And here’s the surprising part: his company was already selling more than 57 products!

So why did he choose that particular number?

The explanation reveals how one simple marketing decision became a tradition lasting more than a century.

Continue below in Part 2