Man who ate ketchup packets while stranded at sea gifted boat by Heinz
As previously reported by REVOLT, in early January, the Colombian Navy found Elvis Francois floating at sea. Upon his rescue, officials learned the 47-year-old had been stranded on the open water for almost a month. How did he survive the terrifying ordeal? Ketchup packets and garlic powder.
Francois had been working on his boat when a strong current carried him away. He later revealed that by mixing the ketchup packets with the seasoning powder, he was able to make an edible paste that kept him alive “for 24 days in the sea.” After hearing of his remarkable story, Heinz, one of the most trusted ketchup brands in the world, came up with a way to help. On Feb. 14, they posted a “digital message in a bottle on the internet” and asked for the public’s help in locating the Dominican man who’d recently been rescued after drifting off of the island of St. Martin in the Netherlands Antilles.
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“To whoever finds this message, we need your help tracking down an amazing man with an amazing story,” the Instagram post began. “You may remember Elvis Francois as the brave sailor who survived on nothing but ketchup and spices while adrift at sea for 24 days. Well, Heinz wants to celebrate his safe return home and help him buy a new boat… but we can’t seem to find him. So, we’re setting this message adrift into the sea of the internet, because if anyone can help us find him, it’s you. If you or anyone you know can help us get in contact with Elvis Francois, please drop us a DM,” the company wrote. Before ending the post, they used the hashtag, FindTheKetchupBoatGuy.
Today (Feb. 27), a rep for Heinz reached out to REVOLT to announce the search was over — Francois has been found! “Anyone who shared, liked or commented on the brand’s post helped broaden the reach and played an important part in finding Elvis… and Heinz wants to thank everyone who helped,” the brand’s rep told REVOLT. In a separate social media post today, the company wrote, “Thank you, internet. We received thousands of likes, shares and messages of kindness in our search to find Elvis Francois. It was an incredible group effort across six continents that led to the hundreds of articles, and leads, and our eventual contact with Elvis. With your help, we were able to #FindTheKetchupBoatGuy.”
Enjoy your new boat, Elvis!
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