In early 2023, Elvis Francois, a 47-year-old man from Dominica, made global headlines after he was found alive after 66 days adrift in the Caribbean — with only a bottle of ketchup, some garlic powder, and rainwater.

Elvis said he was repairing a small sailboat near the port when it was swept out to sea by a strong current. With no navigational skills or navigational equipment, he became disoriented and stranded in the middle of the ocean. The boat had no engine and all communications were lost.

Strangely, Elvis had no food, except for a bottle of Heinz ketchup left over. He shared:

“I mixed ketchup with water and ate a little garlic powder every day. It wasn’t very tasty, but it kept me alive.”

Elvis wrote “HELP” on the side of his boat to increase his chances of being found. Finally, after more than two months, a Colombian Navy plane found him drifting more than 1,200 kilometers from shore. When he was rescued, Elvis was slightly dehydrated but alert and in good spirits.

After the story went viral, Heinz launched a social media campaign called #FindTheKetchupBoatGuy, asking the community to help find him and donate a new boat with a GPS and a modern rescue system. The campaign spread across TikTok and Instagram, and they successfully contacted Elvis a few weeks later.