How a Viral Facebook Post Skyrocketed French’s Tomato Ketchup

John Nicol

We love a good home-grown story, and this one, in particular, transformed the ketchup market in Canada. When Brian Fernandez from Orillia wrote a Facebook post urging his followers to switch to Leamington, Ontario-based French’s Tomato Ketchup, he sparked a nationwide dialogue about the importance of supporting local businesses. This post not only changed Canadians' ketchup preferences but also ignited a wave of national pride.

268,000 Shares and a Surge of Canadian Pride

Fernandez’s post, aptly titled “Bye. Bye. Heinz,” uncovered the story behind French’s ketchup and highlighted the power of social media. Buzzfeed's subsequent interest in the post revealed its true virality, as commenters across Canada pledged their allegiance to French’s. This surge in support led to French’s ketchup flying off the shelves, even creating controversy with Loblaw’s PC-branded ketchup.

With demand skyrocketing by 400%, French’s has been in overdrive to keep up. The company is now working hard to restock grocery store shelves nationwide.

A Lesson in Local Support and History

In June 2014, Heinz's departure from their Leamington, Ontario production facility left 740 locals unemployed and erased a century of local history. Heinz not only manufactured ketchup there but also sourced tomatoes from local farmers.

This Facebook Post on French’s Tomato Ketchup in January 2015 caused French’s (a well-known mustard brand) to partner with Highbury-Canco to revive the facility, using local and southwestern Ontario tomatoes to produce their ketchup.

This viral post exemplifies how social media can drive significant change. What started as a grassroots idea has evolved into a national conversation, reshaping Canada’s condiment market and demonstrating the powerful impact of supporting local businesses.