You Can Now Mix Ketchup Flavors With A Soda-Style Heinz Fountain

Ketchup is a staple condiment for many of us, loved for its balance of sugar, salt, and acid, and just how many things are made extra delicious by it. But Heinz, the market leader of ketchup, wants you to give the classic red sauce a flavor upgrade with a new automated sauce mixer. The machine goes by the name of Heinz Remix and was announced May 17, 2023. The product can most closely be compared to the Coca-Cola Freestyle fountains that can be found in major movie theaters and fast-food joints which allow you to select extra flavorings from a touch-screen like lemon, lime, or raspberry into their most popular sodas, such as Coke, Sprite, and ginger ale. 

Basically, the Heinz Remix offers several base sauces: Heinz Ketchup, Ranch, 57 Sauce, and BBQ Sauce, as well as a mix-in, or as Heinz calls them, "enhancers." The enhancers that will be part of the machine's debut are  Smoky Chipotle, Jalapeño, Buffalo, and Mango, which are then added to the base sauce at your chosen intensity of high, medium, or low. 

You won't see the Heinz Remix at your local fast-food joint right away, as it's set to debut at the 2023 National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago this month. Kraft Heinz did mention plans to roll the machine out to restaurants in late 2023 and 2024, but no mention in the press release as to which restaurants will have access to it.

The Heinz Remix in its current form offers more than 200 possible flavor combinations, which is an exciting array of new choices in addition to basic condiments. Heinz also said that the sauces and enhancers are the current offerings, so it is possible more base sauces and flavor options will be added over time or swapped out after audience testing. For one, we find ourselves wondering about the possibilities of transforming mayo into aiolis at the touch of a button at our local McDonald's or mixing sriracha with ranch dressing at Taco Bell.