Kraft Heinz Fries Box With Sauce Pocket: Genius or Gimmick?

Many of the best inventions are so simple that we wonder why we did not think of them.

The Heinz Dipper, dreamed up and manufactured by Kraft Heinz, appears to be one of those.

Lauded as “the greatest thing since sliced bread” by fast food fans, the Dipper is a traditional fries box with a side pocket for the sauce.

It is said to solve the problem of spilling sauce on your t-shirt, trousers or car seat.

Practical and intuitive

According to the company, 70% of consumers have spilled ketchup while eating on the go, while 80% say they have considered avoiding condiments, believing them to be incompatible with existing packaging.

The patent-pending Heinz Dipper is, according to Kraft Heinz, designed to be “simple, intuitive and mess-free”.

It is expected to help consumers dip fries into sauces “anywhere, anytime”, even when they are not sitting at a table.

“As more eating occasions happen away from home in drive-thrus and on-the-go moments, the Heinz Dipper is a fun and relevant way to innovate to meet fans where they are and strengthen our role in their everyday lives,” says Nina Patel, Vice President, Global Heinz Brand at the Kraft Heinz Company.

Inspired by Heinz Keystone

Nina adds: “After spotlighting the uncanny resemblance between fry boxes and our iconic Heinz Keystone globally, we wanted to take the next bold step: redesigning the age-old fry box to work even harder for our Heinz lovers everywhere.”

The Heinz Dipper will debut at restaurants and sports stadiums in 11 countries: the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Portugal, the Philippines, Thailand, China and Kuwait.

It is a test for potential expanded distribution and long-term growth in other countries.

The box has its own website, trumpeting that “The Future of Dipping is Here”.

Other innovations

As manufacturers try to become more sustainable and their operations more circular, the Heinz Dipper is the latest example to cut overall packaging and enhance practicality.

Late last year, Heliograf launched a home-compostable fish-shaped soy sauce dispenser, to deliver the flavour without leaving a bad taste of plastic pollution in the mouth.

Made from plant pulp, the packaging is designed to comply with increasing bans on plastic soy sauce droppers.

Futamura, Repaq and GK Sondermaschinenbau developed a compostable sachet for ketchup, mustard and cooking sauces.

Previously, Kraft Heinz released Heinz Remix: an IoT-enabled and customisable digital sauce dispenser enabling consumers to create their own sauce flavours from more than 200 potential combinations.

Getting the popularity vote

The Heinz Dipper has received an overwhelmingly positive reaction since its global debut.

Reactions include:

• "Long overdue" innovation. Some social media users have called the design "the greatest thing since sliced bread" and questioned why such a simple solution for dipping on-the-go was not invented sooner.
• Convenience for on-the-go eating. Fans have praised the "mess-free" and "one-hand-friendly" design, which directly addresses the fact that 70% of ketchup users have experienced spills while eating in cars or at stadiums
• Design and branding. Packaging and design experts have lauded the Dipper as a "masterclass in user-centric design”, specifically noting how the dipping pocket cleverly mirrors the iconic Heinz logo shape.
• Minor scepticism. Some critics on social media have expressed concerns that the compartment might take up space for actual fries or that it might be difficult to dispose of without creating a greasy mess.