Summary:
- Kraft Heinz is testing an AI tool called The Cookbook to assist employees in accessing information about the company’s ketchup production process efficiently. The tool, developed in collaboration with Microsoft using Azure OpenAI, provides workers with access to 150 years of expertise in ketchup production.
- The Cookbook allows users to ask questions about various aspects of Heinz Tomato Ketchup production, enhancing efficiency and knowledge preservation. Currently in the early stages, the tool is accessible to a select group of U.S. team members.
Insights:
Kraft Heinz is expanding its AI capabilities with the introduction of The Cookbook to drive efficiency and knowledge retention. This initiative follows the launch of TasteMaker, aimed at accelerating product development and marketing efforts.
Pat Nestor, head of decision intelligence products and platforms at Kraft Heinz, emphasized the company’s ongoing exploration of AI solutions to enhance scalability and connectivity across the organization, delivering value for the business, employees, and consumers.
As Kraft Heinz refines its innovation strategies, it focuses on identifying viable use cases and assessing business value to ensure project success. The company prioritizes responsible AI practices and aims to avoid the pitfalls that hinder many organizations’ AI projects.
Despite challenges in implementing AI projects, Kraft Heinz remains committed to leveraging technology advancements to drive operational improvements. The company plans to scale The Cookbook’s learnings to other brands and products, emphasizing the preservation of subject matter experts’ knowledge.
Looking ahead, Kraft Heinz is planning a significant restructuring following its $46 billion merger in 2015, intending to split into two separate entities focusing on different product categories. This transformation is expected to present technological challenges, including workload migration and addressing tech debt.
CEO Carlos Abrams-Rivera highlighted the company’s technological investments, particularly in AI, during the Q2 2025 earnings call, emphasizing the transformative impact on operations, from demand forecasting to factory floor optimization.