Wattie's

Wattie's is a long-established New Zealand food brand and food-processing business associated with canned, frozen, packaged, and prepared foods. It was established in Hawke's Bay in 1934 by Sir James Wattie and Harold Carr. The original business, initially known as J. Wattie Canneries Limited, began after James Wattie became dissatisfied with the quality and supply implications of imported fruit pulp for jam production. Its first product was jam, but the company later developed a broad portfolio covering canned vegetables, baked beans, spaghetti, soups, preserved fruit, sauces, frozen vegetables, frozen meals, baby food, dressings, cooking sauces, and pet food. The brand's strongest cultural and commercial presence has been in New Zealand, where Wattie's products became everyday household staples. Its tomato sauce, baked beans, canned vegetables, and baby-food ranges are particularly prominent. The company has also manufactured or distributed products connected with other local and international food brands, including Craig's, Farex, Eta, Oak, Greenseas, Earth's Best, Complan, Chef, and Champ. The broader Heinz Wattie's business has therefore operated as both a consumer brand owner and a contract or portfolio food manufacturer rather than as a company limited to Wattie's-branded goods. Wattie's manufacturing history is closely linked to Hastings and the wider Hawke's Bay region. A major fire in February 1962 substantially damaged the Hastings factory and processing plant. Although the main steam line was destroyed, the boilers survived and production reportedly resumed within approximately 50 hours. The event generated what was then described as New Zealand's largest insurance loss, illustrating the scale of the company's industrial operations at the time. The company later participated in corporate consolidation in the New Zealand food sector. Wattie Industries and Goodman Fielder acquired shares in one another in 1980, and their combination in 1987 created Goodman Fielder Wattie Ltd. In 1992, the Wattie's group was acquired from Goodman Fielder by the American H. J. Heinz Company for a reported NZ$565 million. Following Heinz's combination with Kraft Foods in 2015, Heinz Wattie's became part of The Kraft Heinz Company. Wattie's continues to be positioned as a mainstream, family-oriented food brand emphasizing convenience, familiarity, and dependable everyday use. Its New Zealand tomato sauce has been marketed with the claim that it is made in New Zealand and with the designation "NZ's Favourite." The brand has also used strongly local cultural themes in advertising, including the long-running association between Wattie's sauce and New Zealand identity. The wider Heinz Wattie's operation has maintained manufacturing facilities in Hastings and other New Zealand locations. Its business has included more than 1,200 product lines at Hastings and production or packing activities in Auckland, Christchurch, and Dunedin. In March 2026, the company announced proposed and then confirmed substantial manufacturing changes involving the closure of facilities in Auckland, Christchurch, and Dunedin, as well as the ending of frozen packing lines in Hastings. The changes were reported to affect approximately 300 to 350 roles and to include the discontinuation of several products and brands outside the core Wattie's range. These announcements indicate a significant restructuring of the New Zealand food-manufacturing footprint while the Wattie's consumer brand remains active.

Wattie's began in Hawke's Bay in 1934, when Sir James Wattie and Harold Carr established a food-processing enterprise initially called J. Wattie Canneries Limited. The company was founded in the context of New Zealand's developing horticultural and food-manufacturing industries. James Wattie was reportedly motivated in part by dissatisfaction with an Auckland jam business's intention to import fruit pulp from Australia. Jam became the first product, but the business subsequently expanded into a broad range of preserved and packaged foods. The company's growth was built around processing New Zealand agricultural output and selling convenient foods for domestic households. Its activities came to include canned vegetables, baked beans, spaghetti, soups, preserved fruits, sauce bases, tomato sauce, frozen products, baby food, pet food, dressings, and cooking sauces. Over time, the Wattie's name became particularly associated with practical family foods that could be stored and prepared easily. The company also developed a significant manufacturing role for products sold under other brand names. A serious setback occurred in February 1962, when a fire largely destroyed the Hastings factory and plant. The blaze severed the principal steam line running from the boiler room to the processing plant. The four boilers themselves were not destroyed, allowing the company to restore production in roughly 50 hours. The insurance claim was reported at approximately half a million pounds, described at the time as the largest insurance loss in New Zealand. Corporate restructuring followed as the New Zealand food industry became more concentrated. In 1980, Wattie Industries and Goodman Fielder purchased shares in each other's companies. This cross-ownership led to a merger in 1987 and the creation of Goodman Fielder Wattie Ltd. In 1992, the Wattie's group was sold by Goodman Fielder to the United States-based H. J. Heinz Company for a reported NZ$565 million. The acquisition brought Wattie's into Heinz's international food portfolio while retaining its important New Zealand manufacturing and market identity. Under Heinz ownership, the business continued to produce Wattie's products as well as products associated with Heinz and other local and international labels. Its portfolio included brands such as Craig's, Farex, Eta, Oak, Greenseas, Earth's Best, Complan, Chef, and Champ. The company's operations developed across several New Zealand locations, with major facilities in Hastings and additional production or packing operations in Auckland, Christchurch, and Dunedin. Hastings remained especially significant: the business was founded there, and the site produced more than 1,200 product lines according to the cited reference material. The merger of Kraft Foods and H. J. Heinz created The Kraft Heinz Company in 2015, making Heinz Wattie's part of the enlarged group. Wattie's continued to operate as a familiar New Zealand consumer brand, with products spanning canned and frozen foods, sauces, baby food, and related categories. Its tomato sauce advertising reinforced a specifically Kiwi identity, including the recurring idea that liking Wattie's sauce was part of being New Zealand-born or New Zealand-connected. In March 2026, Heinz Wattie's announced a major proposed restructuring of its New Zealand production network. The proposal involved closing facilities in Auckland, Christchurch, and Dunedin, stopping frozen packing at Hastings, and ending the production or sale of several products and brands, including frozen foods, Gregg's coffee, and dipping sauces sold under Mediterranean, Just Hummus, and Good Taste labels. The initial announcement indicated that around 350 jobs could be affected. Later in the month, the company confirmed the closures and Hastings frozen-line shutdown, with the reported impact revised to approximately 300 roles. The changes marked a major contraction of the company's local manufacturing footprint, although Wattie's itself remained an active brand.

1. 2026New Zealand manufacturing restructuring

   Heinz Wattie's proposes and then confirms closures affecting Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, and frozen packing operations in Hastings.

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2. 2015Becomes part of Kraft Heinz

   The merger of Kraft Foods and H. J. Heinz places Heinz Wattie's within The Kraft Heinz Company.

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3. 1992Acquisition by H. J. Heinz

   H. J. Heinz acquires the Wattie's group from Goodman Fielder in a transaction reported at NZ$565 million.

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4. 1987Goodman Fielder Wattie is created

   The Wattie and Goodman Fielder businesses merge to form Goodman Fielder Wattie Ltd.

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5. 1980Cross-shareholding with Goodman Fielder

   Wattie Industries and Goodman Fielder acquire shares in one another, beginning the corporate process that leads to their later merger.

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6. 1962Hastings factory fire

   A major fire destroys much of the Hastings factory and its main steam line. Production is restored in approximately 50 hours because the boilers remain intact.

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7. 1934J. Wattie Canneries is founded

   Sir James Wattie and Harold Carr establish the food-processing company in Hawke's Bay. Jam is the first reported product.

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Mainstream New Zealand family food brand focused on convenient, familiar, and affordable packaged foods, with strong associations with local household cooking and national identity.

• Wattie's canned vegetablesCanned vegetables

  A core Wattie's category comprising preserved vegetables prepared for convenient household use. Canned vegetables helped establish the brand's reputation for practical, shelf-stable foods and remain central to its New Zealand identity.

• Wattie's Baked BeansCanned legumes

  A signature convenience-food line associated with the Wattie's household portfolio. The range reflects the brand's emphasis on familiar, ready-to-serve family foods sold through mainstream grocery channels.

• Wattie's Tomato SauceSauces and condiments

  A major Wattie's condiment made in New Zealand and marketed with the claim or designation "NZ's Favourite." Its advertising has connected the product with New Zealand identity and everyday meals.

• Wattie's soupsSoups

  Packaged soup products within Wattie's broader preserved-food portfolio. The category extends the brand's convenience positioning into ready-to-heat household meals.

• Wattie's baby foodBaby food

  A baby-food portfolio organized around age and developmental stages, including products for infants from birth through 12 months and older. It has been one of the company's important specialized food categories.

• Wattie's frozen foodsFrozen foods

  Frozen vegetables and frozen meals form part of the company's wider food range. In 2026, the company announced the ending of frozen packing operations at Hastings as part of a manufacturing restructuring.

• Wattie's pet foodsPet food

  Pet-food products are included among the product categories manufactured by Heinz Wattie's, showing that the broader business extends beyond human packaged food.

• 1990You'll always be a Kiwi, if you love our Wattie's Sauce

  New Zealand

  Television advertising in the 1990s used a patriotic, identity-based line linking enjoyment of Wattie's tomato sauce with being a New Zealander.

  Outcome. The campaign became a notable example of Wattie's association with Kiwi culture and local food identity.

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• 2026Manufacturing footprint reductionStrategy

  The company cited challenges affecting food manufacturing, including high global inflation.

  What changed. Heinz Wattie's proposed and confirmed the closure of Auckland, Christchurch, and Dunedin facilities and the cessation of frozen packing at Hastings. Several products and brands were also proposed for discontinuation.

  Aftermath. The restructuring was reported to affect approximately 300 to 350 roles and represented a substantial reduction in the company's New Zealand manufacturing network.

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• 2015Wattie's enters the Kraft Heinz groupM&A

  The merger of Kraft Foods and H. J. Heinz created The Kraft Heinz Company.

  What changed. Heinz Wattie's became a subsidiary within the newly formed Kraft Heinz group.

  Aftermath. The brand continued operating in New Zealand as part of a larger international packaged-food company.

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• 1992H. J. Heinz acquires the Wattie's groupM&A

  After the 1987 formation of Goodman Fielder Wattie, the Wattie's group was sold by Goodman Fielder to the American H. J. Heinz Company.

  What changed. Heinz acquired the group in a transaction reported at NZ$565 million.

  Aftermath. Wattie's became part of Heinz's international food portfolio while retaining a strong New Zealand operating and brand presence.

  Reported acquisition price. NZ$565 million (1992)

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• 2026Heinz Wattie's proposes major New Zealand manufacturing closures and product withdrawals

  The company proposed closing manufacturing facilities in Auckland, Christchurch, and Dunedin, ending frozen packing at its Hastings site, and discontinuing several products and brands. The proposal was attributed to pressures affecting the manufacturing sector, including high global inflation, and was expected to affect about 350 jobs.

  Leadership change
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• 2026Heinz Wattie's confirms Auckland, Christchurch, and Dunedin factory closures

  The company confirmed the closure of its Auckland, Christchurch, and Dunedin factories and the shutdown of frozen packaging lines in Hastings. The confirmed restructuring was reported to affect approximately 300 roles.

  Other
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1. Wattie's
2. Wattie's official website