One hundred fifty years ago, a small business in Pittsburgh filed for bankruptcy protection.

The H.J. Heinz Company was forced to take this action when the national economy soured, its contractual obligations were overextended, and the company could not pay its debts.

This public humiliation could have marked the end of the company and curtailed the entrepreneurial spirit of Mr. Heinz, but in many ways, the bankruptcy became a catalyst to work even harder to re-build and prove a point by achieving commercial success.

The Heinz Brand is known around the world today, but in 1875, it was much more localized. Henry Heinz was the son of German immigrant parents who settled in Pennsylvania, and as most people did in those days, the family had a small garden to supply fresh vegetables for thei

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