Heinz partners with Smoothie King to launch ketchup smoothie
(TNS) — Pittsburghers love their Heinz Tomato Ketchup — but will they love it in smoothie form?
For the first time, Heinz fans can get their ketchup in smoothie form through a new partnership with Smoothie King, Kraft Heinz announced Wednesday.
The new blend won’t be available in Pittsburgh, according to the Smoothie King website.
While supplies last, the limited edition smoothie is available at select Smoothie King locations nationwide for $5.70. The markets include: Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Miami and parts of the Greater New York area and Northern New Jersey.
“While everyone knows the age-old question, ‘Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable?’ recently, thousands have started asking, ‘If tomatoes are a fruit, is ketchup a smoothie?'” the announcement reads.
The ketchup-based smoothie blends real fruits with Heinz Simply Tomato Ketchup, Kraft Heinz said, and it’s launching during peak tomato harvest season.
“With new celeb-inspired smoothies dropping almost daily and millions of social media posts about smoothies in the past year alone — including thousands a day during the hot summer months — smoothies are clearly having a moment,” Kraft Heinz said.
It will include sweet Acai sorbet, crisp apple juice, juicy strawberries and tart raspberries to create a sweet and fruity smoothie with a tangy, ketchup finish, according to Kraft Heinz.
The smoothie went through months of testing and tasting, according to Lori Primavera, vice president of R&D and product marketing at Smoothie King.
“The idea of a ketchup smoothie is provocative, and our top priority was landing a delicious tasting fruit smoothie with distinct yet well-balanced ketchup notes,” said Angie Madigan, vice president of elevation marketing at Kraft Heinz. “The experts at Smoothie King helped make this dream a reality, and we’re absolutely thrilled with the final smoothie we created together.”
Megan Swift is a TribLive reporter covering trending news in Western Pennsylvania. A Murrysville native, she joined the Trib full time in 2023 after serving as editor-in-chief of The Daily Collegian at Penn State. She previously worked as a Jim Borden Scholarship intern at the Trib for three summers. She can be reached at mswift@triblive.com.