‘Ketchup boat guy’ says he still can’t afford vessel after Heinz viral campaign
Elvis Francois, a Dominican fisherman who became known as the ‘ketchup boat guy’ after surviving 24 days at sea on just ketchup and seasonings, has spoken about his experience with Heinz following a viral marketing campaign by the condiment brand.
François was swept out to sea while making repairs to his sailboat near the island of Sint-Maarten in the Netherlands Antilles. During his near-month-long ordeal at sea, François survived by eating ketchup, garlic powder and cubes of the Maggi brand of soup – the supplies he had onboard – and collecting rainwater with a cloth.
After being rescued, Francois was offered a new boat with a GPS navigation system by Heinz, which tracked him down via a social-media campaign titled #FindtheKetchupBoatGuy in February. The campaign reached five million users and garnered more than 4,000 likes, a record for Heinz, the company said in a statement to the Guardian.
The brand asked Francois whether he would prefer Heinz buy him a new boat with GPS, or give him the cash to do it himself, and he accepted the cash, according to reports. However, Francois recently shared with Insider that the money he received from Heinz wasn’t enough to purchase the boat he wanted.
The fisherman told the outlet he could only afford a small used boat (with engines) with the cash the brand handed over — reportedly 40,000 East Caribbean (EC) dollars (US$14,800).
Although Francois couldn’t buy the sailboat he previously owned, he expressed gratitude for the help he received and says he is eager to resume fishing immediately. He adds that, due to his limited education and being from a small village, he didn’t think he could ask for more.
“You can’t force anything in life; I just have to accept it as it is,” he says.
According to Insider, he spent EC$18,000 on a small boat and EC$20,000 on two motors — explaining he would not go out on the water with one motor as it’s “too risky”. He is now working selling fruit at a market to raise money to purchase additional parts, such as a steering wheel and a GPS system, before taking to the water again.
Kraft Heinz states that it had ‘discussed the amount’ of EC$40,000 with Francois.
A Kraft Heinz representative told Insider: “We’re surprised and sorry to hear that Mr Francois is disappointed with Heinz’s monetary support. While our intention was to purchase him a new fishing boat, once we were able to locate and discuss with him directly, he indicated that money would be preferred and most beneficial.
“We quickly researched and determined that our donation was sufficient to purchase a higher-quality boat than what he previously had, if he chose to do so, while also keeping in mind any tax implications that he might incur. As our only goal here was to delight Mr Francois, if he was not able to purchase the boat that we had discussed, we’re happy to take a look and determine if additional funds are needed.”
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