Volkswagen Ketchup

Ketchup from Volkswagen. Ralf Roletschek / wikimedia / 2011 / GNU FDL 1.2. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:~volkswagen-currywurst-by-RalfR-2.jpg

The Volkswagen (VW) car company markets its own brand of spiced ketchup called “Volkswagen Gewürz Ketchup”, or “Volkswagen Spiced Ketchup”.

It is particularly designed to be used as a sauce to accompany Volkswagen’s Currybockwurst sausages to create the dish known as “currywurst“.

It is made for Volkswagen to its specifications by the Develey sauce company in Munich.

The ketchup is delivered to Volkswagen’s canteens in large containers for in-house use. It is also sold to the public in 500 ml (approx. 16 oz.) bottles at supermarkets.

The Volkswagen part number for the ketchup is 199 398 500 B.

See also: Ketchup, Volkswagen Sausages, Currywurst

Production figures

In 1997, 20,000 bottles sold. ^[1]Ketchup is VW Best-Seller. Motor Trend Magazine. 8 April 2010. Accessed January 2020 at https://www.motortrend.com/news/eurp-1004-ketchup-is-vw-best-seller/+&cd=51&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca

In 2009, over 425,000 500 ml bottles were sold. ^[2]”In 2009, over 425,000 bottles were sold and, in the first 10 weeks of 2010, 100,000 bottles have already been sold.” — Ketchup is VW Best-Seller. Motor Trend Magazine. 8 April 2010. Accessed January 2020 at https://www.motortrend.com/news/eurp-1004-ketchup-is-vw-best-seller/+&cd=51&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca ”

In 2014, 536,826 kg of the ketchup was produced. ^[3]Rodionova, Zlata. Volkswagen sold more sausages than cars in 2015. London, England: The Independent. 19 February 2016. Accessed August 2021 at https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/vw-volkswagen-currywurst-sausages-emissions-scandal-a6883751.html

In 2015-2016, 608,208 kg was produced. ^[4]Ibid.

Storage

Store bottles of the ketchup in the refrigerator after opening.

History

Volkswagen ketchup was made for VW first by Kraft and then by Mondelez, when it bought Kraft out. It has been made for VW since approximately 2018 by Develey in Munich.

Production of the ketchup started in the 1970s. Kraft supplied it to VW’s canteens in large, catering size containers.

“Back in the 1970s, it was developed with the ketchup specialist Kraft to complement the taste of the legendary Volkswagen curry sausage…” ^[5]Garlitos, Kirby. Volkswagen Releases New Ketchup Line At The Techno Classica Essen. Top Speed Magazine. 12 April 2010. Accessed August 2021 at https://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/volkswagen-releases-new-ketchup-line-at-the-techno-classica-essen-ar87974.html

Volkswagen Ketchup jars showing Kraft name on lids. Monstourz / wikimedia / 2011 / CC BY-SA 3.0

The catering managers at Volkswagen were looking for a curry ketchup sauce that would best complement their in-house sausages, which already had some curry flavouring in them:

“The career of Volkswagen ketchup began, as mentioned, back in the 1970s. Volkswagen was looking for a ketchup that would harmonise especially well with its own curry sausage production. So, its consistency has a thicker “viscosity” than conventional ketchup; in addition, its taste was tuned to the taste of Volkswagen curry sausage with spices that remain a strict trade secret even today. And with this sausage, a perfect taste unfolds.” ^[6]Garlitos, Kirby. Volkswagen Releases New Ketchup Line At The Techno Classica Essen. Top Speed Magazine. 12 April 2010. Accessed August 2021 at https://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/volkswagen-releases-new-ketchup-line-at-the-techno-classica-essen-ar87974.html

In 1997, Volkswagen decided to begin bottling the ketchup for external sale:

“In 1997, Volkswagen began officially bottling and selling the Spiced Ketchup. In that year, 20,000 bottles were sold.” ^[7]Ketchup is VW Best-Seller. Motor Trend Magazine. 8 April 2010. Accessed January 2020 at https://www.motortrend.com/news/eurp-1004-ketchup-is-vw-best-seller/+&cd=51&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca

The anniversary of the ketchup was celebrated in 2010:

“Volkswagen is using the Techno Classica 2010 in Essen, Germany as the opportunity to commemorate the 40-year success story of Volkswagen Spiced Ketchup, which was born back in the 1970s.” ^[8]Ketchup is VW Best-Seller. Motor Trend Magazine. 8 April 2010. Accessed January 2020 at https://www.motortrend.com/news/eurp-1004-ketchup-is-vw-best-seller/+&cd=51&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca

As part of the celebrations, they issued a limited 1,000 bottle edition of “VW Classic Ketchup”, which had a slightly different formula:

“This year they will also launch VW Classic Ketchup, of which just 1000 bottles will be available. The ketchup has a thicker consistency than standard ketchup and a unique flavour.” ^[9]Ketchup is VW Best-Seller. Motor Trend Magazine. 8 April 2010. Accessed January 2020 at https://www.motortrend.com/news/eurp-1004-ketchup-is-vw-best-seller/+&cd=51&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca

The limited edition sold for 3.00 Euros a bottle. ^[10]Garlitos, Kirby. Volkswagen Releases New Ketchup Line At The Techno Classica Essen. Top Speed Magazine. 12 April 2010. Accessed August 2021 at https://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/volkswagen-releases-new-ketchup-line-at-the-techno-classica-essen-ar87974.html

“Volkswagen introduced a tasty new product this week at Techno Classica Essen, the world’s largest classic car show in Germany. Bottles of Volkswagen Classic Ketchup will be sold for €3, with the first series limited to 1,000 units. The condiment displays a 1950s-era Volkswagen Beetle on the front, though the ketchup recipe was developed in the 70s. Originally created by Kraft, the side was meant to “complement the taste of the legendary Volkswagen curry sausage,” served to employees at the VW plant in Wolfsburg. The thicker sauce is not the only condiment in the VW lineup. The company has been bottling their spiced ketchup since 1997, selling 425,000 bottles in 2009 alone.” ^[11]Volkswagen Classic Ketchup is No April Fools Joke – World Debut at Techno Classica 2010. London, England: Motorsport Network. 8 April 2010. Accessed August 2021 at https://www.motor1.com/news/21075/volkswagen-classic-ketchup-is-no-april-fools-joke-world-debut-at-techno-classica-2010/

Around 2016 or 2017, Mondelez, which had purchased Kraft in 2012 and thus inherited the contract to make the ketchup, informed its customers at Volkswagen that it intended to get out of the ketchup making business in Europe. Volkswagen had to begin looking for a new supplier that could make it for them.

Martin F. Cordes was the company-wide head of catering in charge of finding the new supplier. After trying proposed samples from nearly a dozen companies, VW decided on a company called “Develey” near Munich, which also supplies MacDonald’s in many countries. ^[12]Terpitz, Dieser Familienunternehmer liefert nicht nur McDonald’s seinen Senf. Düsseldorf, Germany: Handelsblatt. 3 April 2019. Accessed August 2021 at https://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/mittelstand/familienunternehmer/michael-durach-dieser-familienunternehmer-liefert-nicht-nur-mcdonalds-seinen-senf/v_detail_tab_comments/24170854.html:

“But since Mondelez no longer produces ketchup, VW had to find a new supplier. That is why the sauce manufacturer Develey from Unterhaching near Munich has recently started making the ketchup.” ^[13]Wilke, Felicitas. Neuer Ketchup-Geschmack sorgt für Unruhe bei VW. Munich, Bavaria: Die Süddeutsche Zeitung. 9 August 2018. Accessed August 2021 at https://www.sueddeutsche.de/wirtschaft/currywurst-neuer-ketchup-geschmack-empoert-vw-mitarbeiter-1.4087255

But because the exact recipe stayed with Mondalez for undisclosed reasons, Cordes had to work with Develey to develop a new version of it from scratch.

In 2017, a combined team from Develey and Volkswagen started formulating and tasting different attempts at the new ketchup version. ^[14]Wilke, Felicitas. Neuer Ketchup-Geschmack sorgt für Unruhe bei VW. Munich, Bavaria: Die Süddeutsche Zeitung. 9 August 2018. Accessed August 2021 at https://www.sueddeutsche.de/wirtschaft/currywurst-neuer-ketchup-geschmack-empoert-vw-mitarbeiter-1.4087255 They decided at the same time to try to make the ketchup a bit healthier, using less added sugar and 13% more actual tomato paste. In the original ketchup recipe, there were twenty-one different spices. The combination of spices was kept, but the proportions of those changed as well. ^[15]Bulkeley, Andrew. The world’s biggest carmaker had to get a new ketchup supplier for the trademark dish in its plant cafeterias. Workers are not impressed. Düsseldorf, Germany: Handelsblatt. 16 August 2018. Accessed August 2021 at https://www.handelsblatt.com/english/companies/ketchupgate-vw-employees-reject-new-currywurst-ketchup/23583042.html

Workers from all sectors of Volkswagen were in on the hundreds of taste tests on the evolving new ketchup recipe. It was even taste tested in the VW cafeterias in controlled tests by actual lunch-goers.

A large majority of people involved in the taste-testing enthusiastically approved the new ketchup version, and it was broadly rolled out to Volkswagen’s company cafeterias in August 2018.

And the complaints flooded in.

Some people complained there was a mouth sensation difference: the previous Kraft version “tended to burn in the throat” but the new version instead left “a spiciness on the tip of the tongue”. ^[16]Bei VW herrscht erneut Unruhe – wegen des Kantinen-Ketchups für die Currywurst. Hamburg, Germany: Stern Magazine. 10 August 2018. Accessed August 2021 at https://www.stern.de/genuss/-ketchup-gate–bei-vw–mitarbeiter-empoeren-sich-ueber-neue-rezeptur-8206140.html :

“But recently industrial mechanics, engineers and warehouse logisticians have felt a sharpness on the tip of the tongue that was previously more likely to be located in the throat. The ketchup tastes different and [thus] so does the currywurst.” ^[17]Wilke, Felicitas. Neuer Ketchup-Geschmack sorgt für Unruhe bei VW. Munich, Bavaria: Die Süddeutsche Zeitung. 9 August 2018. Accessed August 2021 at https://www.sueddeutsche.de/wirtschaft/currywurst-neuer-ketchup-geschmack-empoert-vw-mitarbeiter-1.4087255

Some employees just wanted the old recipe brought back:

“The employees [ ] still want the old recipe back. The kitchen now wants to continue tinkering with the composition.” ^[18]Mitsis, Konstantinos. Chaos in der VW-Kantine: Warum die Mitarbeiter wegen Ketchup auf die Barrikaden gehen. Munich, Germany: Chip Digital. 13 August 2018. Accessed August 2021 at https://www.chip.de/news/Chaos-in-der-VW-Kantine-Warum-die-Mitarbeiter-wegen-Ketchup-auf-die-Barrikaden-gehen_146319870.html

Other people, however, said they preferred the new version.

By 2019, the transition dust had settled. Not only were employees coming around to the new ketchup, but it was also winning awards:

“Our original VW curry ketchup is a very hot runabout,” explains Develey boss Michael Durach with a rolling R. The problem at the beginning: the ingredients had not yet come together properly. But that is a thing of the past – now it is not just the VW employees who are embracing it again. Ultimately, the sauce was even awarded the golden DLG prize by the German Agricultural Society, unlike the previous versions. “Develey worked on the recipe for a long time. Not only at VW – we fight at every sausage stall.” ^[19]Terpitz, Dieser Familienunternehmer liefert nicht nur McDonald’s seinen Senf. Düsseldorf, Germany: Handelsblatt. 3 April 2019. Accessed August 2021 at https://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/mittelstand/familienunternehmer/michael-durach-dieser-familienunternehmer-liefert-nicht-nur-mcdonalds-seinen-senf/v_detail_tab_comments/24170854.html

Volkswagen Ketchup sold alongside Volkswagen Sausage. Monstourz / wikimedia / 2011 / CC BY-SA 3.0

Comparison of old and new formulation

Old Kraft / Mondalez version

Ingredients: Tomato paste (24%), Glucose / Fructose Syrup, water, spirit vinegar, table salt, curry powder (1.5%), herbs (including mustard, sugar and table salt), aroma

Per 100g: 162 calories, fat .4 g, carbohydrates 37.0, sugar 30.5, salt 1.86 g ^[20]Source: VW Gewürz Ketchup – Kraft Foods – 500 ml. Accessed August 2021 at https://world.openfoodfacts.org/product/7622400004407/vw-gewurz-ketchup-kraft-foods

Old Volkswagen ketchup nutrition information

New Develey version

Ingredients: Tomato paste (37%), glucose-fructose syrup, water, sugar, brandy vinegar, modified corn starch, salt, spices (with MUSTARD), natural aroma (with celery), spice extract.

Per 100g: 135 calories, fat .3 g, carbohydrates 30.6 g, sugar 29.2 g, salt 2.2 g ^[21]Source: Volkswagen Ketchup. Accessed August 2021 at https://sausageman.co.uk/product/volkswagen-ketchup-b2c

New Volkswagen ketchup nutrition information