You're the Sauce Boss With Heinz's New Ketchup-Mixing Dispenser

Before Coca-Cola's innovative "Freestyle" machines hit the market, the most creative you could get with filling your cup was at the convenience store's soft drink fountain. If you've ever heard the term "Graveyard" in reference to a concoction of multiple colas and fruit sodas, you know what I mean. But these days, whether it's Starbucks drinks or mobile ordering menus, customization is everything. And now Heinz has devised a way to even customize your ketchup.

The Heinz "Remix" machine is dubbed as "the first customizable digital sauce dispenser" and will be officially unveiled at this weekend's 2023 National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago. Using the machine's screen, you can select multiple component sauces to create your perfect mix or choose from a menu of pre-programmed recipes.

Heinz's description of the interface says that the user will "first select from a range of 'bases' — currently Heinz Ketchup, Ranch, 57 Sauce, and BBQ Sauce — then personalize further with one or more 'enhancers' — currently Jalapeño, Smoky Chipotle, Buffalo, and Mango — at their preferred intensity level (low, medium, high). The Remix dispenser boasts over 200 possible combinations, so if you like things spicier, sweeter, or smokier, that's all up to you.

"Heinz Remix is a great example of this consumer-first approach to innovation. We're changing the game for foodservice operators and sauce lovers — dipping will never be the same," Alan Kleinerman, Vice President of Disruption, Kraft Heinz, declared in the announcement. "With Heinz Remix, it's more than a sauce dispenser; it's an insights engine and business model enabler that will help Kraft Heinz understand and respond to consumer trends and flavor preferences in real-time. Who knows — maybe our next new sauce combination will come from a superfan using Heinz Remix."

After its trade show debut this month, Heinz says it plans to start piloting the machine with restaurant operators as soon as late 2023 or early 2024.

But if most of your ketchup consumption comes from a grocery store rather than a condiment bar, Heinz has still got you covered with its slate of somewhat bespoke bottle options: Earlier this year, the brand revamped and expanded its spicy Ketchup line, which now includes jalapeño, habanero, and chipotle flavors, and also added a new Hot 57 Sauce.