Fremont, the Sandusky County seat, runs on ketchup, a river and a presidential library
Bellevue's neighbor to the northwest has one of the largest ketchup plants in the country, a working downtown and the Hayes Presidential Library.
Fremont is Sandusky County’s seat and the closest city of its size to Bellevue, about 15 miles northwest along U.S. 20. Its economy rests on three things: food processing, county government and visitors drawn by history.
The Heinz plant
Fremont’s best-known employer is the Kraft Heinz plant, which has made ketchup in the city for decades and is often described as one of the largest ketchup plants in the world. The plant buys tomatoes and other ingredients, runs bottling lines around the clock in peak season and employs hundreds. Kraft Heinz lists its manufacturing sites on its corporate site.
Food processing has deep roots in this part of Ohio, where farms once grew tomatoes, sugar beets and vegetables for canneries in Fremont, Clyde and other towns.
A river town
The Sandusky River runs through downtown Fremont toward Sandusky Bay. In 2019 the city removed the Ballville Dam upstream, a project meant to restore fish passage. The river’s spring walleye run draws anglers. The river’s water quality is tracked by Heidelberg University’s research center, as we explain in our story on Tiffin’s colleges.
Government and health care
Sandusky County offices, the courts and ProMedica Memorial Hospital are major employers. Many Bellevue residents on the Sandusky County side of town come to Fremont for county business. Our explainer on how Bellevue’s four counties work covers why.
History draws visitors
The Hayes Presidential Library & Museums at Spiegel Grove brings tourists and researchers. We profiled Rutherford B. Hayes separately.
More on the regional economy is in Business.