The balloons have burst, those quirky voting machines have been locked away, but sales of W Ketchup continue at a surprising rate. Those who considered the “alternate” condiment a flash in the election-year pan might have to think again. W may be here to stay.

In April of last year, four Republican friends at a cookout jokingly complained about ubiquitous Heinz ketchup; they reluctantly slathered their hamburgers with the product responsible for a good deal of candidate John Kerry’s newly married wealth. They wished aloud for an alternative.

A very quick three months later W Ketchup was launched – complete with eye-catching patriotic labels and an even more arresting slogan: “You don’t support Democrats. Why should your ketchup?”

As of today, the startup operation has sold more than 300,000 bottles of ketchup, and the underwriting partners have all gotten their initial investments back – not bad for a somewhat whimsical business undertaking.

The ketchup itself is made by the Fremont Company, a commercial food-packing operation in Ohio. Originally, the Fremont Kraut Company (more jingoistic possibilities) got into the ketchup business through its purchase of the Sharp Canning Company in 1962.

On Fremont’s Web site, this milestone and others are linked to significant world events in a helpful but slightly puzzling company timeline. For example, the initial combination of several sauerkraut companies in 1905 coincided with Einstein formulating his Theory of Relativity. The later acquisition of Frank’s Pure Foods barely preceded King Kong climbing the Empire State Building with Fay Wray. The Sharp purchase came in advance of the Cuban Missile Crisis. No doubt the world’s attention was diverted.

Susie Oliver was one of the four founding friends, and she is now the company’s chief operating officer. Experience? Almost none. Enthusiasm? Plenty.

Ms. Oliver, who grew up in a politically active family in Washington, moved to New York after receiving her master’s degree in art history from Christie’s in London. She worked for a period of time at Doyle’s auction house but became the full time W manager last year.

It is clear that no one was more surprised by the success of W than the friends who conceived it. The company has placed in its short life only one advertisement – in The National Review, of all places. (Ms. Oliver’s father is on the board of that magazine, which may explain the choice.)

It happened that the ad ran in an issue commemorating the life of president Reagan. Political conservatives everywhere mourned the loss of their beloved president, who once opined that yes, ketchup did count as a vegetable. His followers ordered up W ketchup in droves.

Advertising to date has been paltry because from the beginning, the press enthusiastically picked up the story. It was, after all, an unusually mean-spirited election year, and endearing stories about Bush supporters were perhaps hard to come by.

With sizable press coverage, orders for W Ketchup poured in – initially to Ms. Oliver’s cell phone. Restaurants and individuals were eager to display their patriotism right on the dinner table. The enthusiasts for “Freedom Fries” were natural consumers of W.

Some restaurants held “ketchup wars.” They asked that diners vote for their preferred candidate by dropping jelly beans into one of two large jars – identified by W and Heinz logos. Others held taste tests – some on TV. W often prevailed.

This should not be too surprising. After all, Fremont’s motto claims “100 Years of Tomato Know-How in Every Bottle.” Of course it tastes good.

Who are the buyers? W sells all over the country and in Europe, as well. Ms. Oliver has recently received inquiries from distributors overseas, which would significantly broaden the company’s reach.

W is especially popular in Texas and Florida, which is not surprising, since many of its fans assume that the name refers to the second member of the Bush family to make it to the White House.

In fact, the owners of W maintain that the “W” stands for Washington, and it is indeed Gilbert Stuart’s George who appears on the label.

Especially enthusiastic buyers have been members of the armed forces, and veterans. Many orders have come in from Afghanistan and other areas where American troops are located.

Undoubtedly appealing to this group is the promise that 5% of the company’s profits will be donated to the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund. This organization was founded in 1990 by Oliver North and gives out scholarships to students whose parents have been killed or wounded while serving in the American military. So far, W has donated $6,000 to scholarship funds.

Orders must come through the Web site, designed by one of the initial investors, or by telephone. The company uses warehouses in California and Connecticut to fill orders. Those facilities had to be ramped upquickly when orders unexpectedly escalated but are now adequate to the task.

The question is, will W survive? Sales remain strong, buoyed by Christmas orders and then, perhaps, by the inauguration. It is not clear that W will be served at any inaugural events, but rumors persist that Barbara Bush and other power Republicans are big fans.

Going forward, Ms. Oliver does not appear to have a clear-cut strategy for opening new products or markets. Possibilities on the table, so to speak, include adding a mustard product (after all, who wants to serve “French’s” if they don’t have to?)

Also, the company would like to be picked up by some larger distribution networks, most of whom appear to be waiting to see whether W is just a fad, or if it is likely to persist.

It all seems a little hard on Heinz, which has protested that it is politically neutral, which indeed appears to be the case. The company donates money to both Democratic and Republican candidates, as is the peculiar way of large companies, but in fact the majority of funds have flowed to the right, not the left. And Senator John Heinz, for heavens sake, was a Republican.

No matter. It’s all about symbolism, and classic American entrepreneurship. Will W become a classic American product? It will take some energy and perhaps some investment in infrastructure to take W to the next, more permanent, level. Lovers of W will doubtless support the effort, with relish.