Based on the success of the other colors, the food giant expects the new color to provide a boost to all ketchup sales, not just the oddly tinted ones, said Heinz spokesman Robin Teets.
"It's the time of year when overall sales goes up," Teets said. "There's a nice bump in volume from EZ Squirt products, but we tend to have a halo over ketchup, overall."
Since Heinz introduced "Blastin' Green" in October 2000, the company sold more than 25 million bottles of colored ketchup. Last year, Heinz controlled 60 percent of the American ketchup market, an all-time high for the company, Teets said.
Christine McCracken, an analyst with Midwest Research, said she is not surprised Heinz would introduce a new color, based on the other colors' incremental success.
Heinz produced 1 million rainbow-colored, mystery bottles last year. Consumers who bought the ketchup didn't know, until they squirted it on a burger whether they got pink, orange or teal. The company hoped customers' reactions would help it decide its next hue, but no one color became a front runner. Instead, customers called for blue, Teets said.
Like the "Mystery Color" rolled out in April 2002, Heinz will produce a limited supply of 500,000 blue bottles.
There's no telling what shade ketchup will take next, but the company keeps an eye on ideas from customers - especially those who get a kick out of weird-colored food.
"It's not mom and dad's ketchup," Teets said. "If parents think it's a little strange, that's all the better for kids."
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