IT’SCovid-19 epidemic requires, many Americans are forced to enjoy their fries at home, but some are not ready for all the sacrifices. Since the Heinz group – like its competitors – struggles to meet the demand for ketchup in sachets, Americans had the idea of reselling theirs, which they had kept until then, relates Le Huffington Post from information from Wall Street Journal.
And the demand seems so strong that the prices are racing: some do not hesitate to resell five dollars the batch of 10 sachets of 9 grams. By comparison, the 900-gram bottle sells for around five dollars in stores, which is more than 10 times cheaper. “Few people seem to take the bait though,” notes The Huffington Post. Nevertheless: there is no shortage of offers, suggesting that some buyers are ready to go crazy to season their fries.
“The demand was greater than the supply”
The Heinz group, whose iconic ketchup remains by far the best-selling, observed a “surge in demand for packets of ketchup driven by delivery and take-out”, told Agence France-Presse Steve Cornell , president of the unit in charge of these questions for the Kraft Heinz group, confirming information from the Wall Street Journal.
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These small individual bags, provided during deliveries, have in fact, over the past year, largely replaced the usual glass or plastic bottles placed on the tables, even for room service where they are shunned by customers who balk at them. to touch. The ketchup giant has thus made adjustments in its production, to favor these products in great demand to the detriment of others. But even so, “demand was greater than supply,” the group told Agence France-Presse in an email.
To cope with this, Kraft Heinz points out that it has added several production lines in its factories, which should allow production to increase by 25%, to reach 12 billion of these bags per year. He also developed a bottle for serving without contact. And prices have risen 13% since January 2020, according to information from the Wall Street Journal, citing the Plate IQ business services platform.
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