At the ballpark, what do you want on your hotdog? A little mustard and relish? Or are you a strictly ketchup fan? Although manual dispensers in ballparks have long been limited largely to those three condiments, a new innovation by Kraft Heinz promises to give consumers a wider array of choices—and grant vendors vast insights into consumer preferences.

The Heinz Remix is a relatively small, automated dispenser that comes stocked with ketchup, along with BBQ sauce, ranch, and Heinz’s 57 mix. But consumers can go beyond just choosing from these flavors, such that they can add, to the level of intensity that they prefer, jalapeño, chipotle, mango, or buffalo flavors to the base sauces. Thus one family member might spice up their ranch for dipping fries, while another makes their barbeque sauce sweeter with a hint of mango.

Beyond the expanded choice, the machines promise to make the very process a little easier and less messy for fans—an appealing proposition for anyone who has ever pushed too hard on the lever of the manual machines and wound up with a thumb covered in sauce. Consumers make their flavor choices on a touchscreen, then insert the small paper cups that hold the condiments onto a platform, a little bit like a fountain soda machine. The Remix automatically mixes the chosen flavors perfectly and doses the perfect amount into the cup, requiring less than 10 seconds to do so.

In addition to the touchscreen technology, the Remix is equipped with data analytics and cloud capabilities, such that it can keep track of which mixes are most popular, on which days, and at what point in the game. What if, for example, it learned that during close pitchers’ duels, nervous fans stopped putting too much spicy flavoring into their Heinz 57 sauce? They might then consider whether they needed to push more calming treats during tense moments in games. Or perhaps on days that teams have special promotions for young fans, the ranch flavor flies out of the dispensers. Here again, such insights are critical for Kraft Heinz, in marketing its own products and innovating new flavors for various consumer markets.

They also can be invaluable for retail vendors at the ballparks that might want to design new menu options based on the flavor combinations that consumers signal they prefer. A nearby stand selling chicken tenders might add a ranch–chipotle seasoning if it were to learn that many customers combined those flavors; the booth selling Italian sausages also could introduce a buffalo sauce–flavored sausage based on high levels of demand for that spicy option. Finally, Heinz promises that the machines are easy to operate, with click-in refill pouches and large capacities. Thus, it seeks to avoid the frustrating situation in which a fan is stuck with a dry dog when the ketchup container is empty.

Discussion Questions

1. In addition to ballparks, where else might Kraft Heinz roll out its new Remix machines to provide more value to consumers?
2. How can consumers’ preferences inform Kraft Heinz’s continued new product innovation strategies?

Sources: Brooke DiPalma, “Ketchup from the Cloud: Kraft Heinz Debuts ‘Remix,’ its Personalized Sauce Dispenser,” Yahoo Finance, May 17, 2023, https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/ketchup-from-the-cloud-kraft-heinz-debuts-remix-its-personalized-sauce-dispenser-100022983.html