In the 28 years since Napier's Peter Lucas started working at Wattie's, tomato sauce has become ketchup and turned green.
"It has changed hugely. When I started, the two Wattie brothers (Ray and Gordon) were still working there and now it is owned by an American corporation. But Wattie's still has
its own personality," he said.
Wattie's is now known as Heinz Wattie's, after HJ Heinz purchased Wattie's Limited in 1992, and is part of the American Heinz group.
Mr Lucas has been chief executive for Heinz' transtasman operations for the past three years but, with management restructuring, has chosen to retire at the end of the month.
When he started with the Hastings company in 1977 as the group manager, operations research, Wattie's produced canned fruit, baked beans, spaghetti, tuna and, of course, tomato sauce.
Although these remain a mainstay of the New Zealand diet, the company now produces pasta in a can, white sauce and cooking sauces, with the Hastings plant producing products for Australia and Japan.
'Wattie's still has huge iconic value for New Zealanders," he said.
Over three decades, the man raised in Greenmeadows has worked in most aspects of Heinz' food operation in New Zealand and Australia.
In 1992 he became general manager of Wattie Frozen Foods, in 1995 he was appointed to restructure Tegel Foods and in 2002 he became chief executive for Heinz' transtasman operations.
As part of the restructuring, the managers of the Heinz Wattie's businesses in Australasia, Nigel Comer and Peter Widdows, have been appointed to the new Presidents' Council within HJ Heinz.
Mr Lucas will remain in his role as director of Fisher and Paykel Appliances and as a member of the Food and Beverage Taskforce.
