Tomatoes

the fresh

report TOMATOES

Consumer demand for healthy foods continues to climb, and the popularity of tomatoes is growing along with it. To meet demand, Red Sun Farms is boosting its stake in greenhouse tomatoes (along with peppers and cucumbers) with big investments in its operations. Harold Paivarinta, Sr. Director of Sales at Red Sun Farms, discusses the grower’s expansion plans along with key category trends and product innovations.

What are the key trends in the category? The health benefits of fresh fruits and vegetables are always important factors for consumers as they look at ways to improve their wellness through healthy eating. Responding to consumer demand, we are making significant investments in our facilities, which will bring Red Sun Farms to 788 acres in 2022. This includes 223 acres (52 lit) in Ontario, 537 acres in Mexico, and 28 acres (10 lit) in the US.

Another big trend is sustainability. Red Sun Farms has focused our sustainability initiatives in a couple of key ways. We will begin planning for the second season of our winter pepper crop with our oneof-a-kind LED technology that will supply Ontario peppers year-round. This unique technology recreates and modulates the full spectrum of the sun's natural light, essentially enabling the farm to de-seasonalize productions.

Our farms have also been utilizing sustainable practices in water recycling, yield optimization, and minimizing food waste. We’ve also worked closely with our packaging suppliers to develop new and sustainable options. This has resulted in the commercialization of recyclable flow wraps, increased recycle content in clamshells, fibre punnets, compostable PLUs, and labels with washable adhesives.

What are some recent product innovations? Our product innovation delivers a whole new eating experience through flavour and quality. In the Sweets Family, Sweetpops is quickly redefining our snacking tomato standards. This variety is all about delivering an explosion of flavour, in a snack-size tomato. As a sweeter-than-sweet snacking tomato, Sweetpops has already established a dedicated consumer following that has connected with the brand and redefined the expectation of sweetness in tomatoes. The packaging was designed with the millennial generation in mind. It creates a connection and makes the exploration of this tomato an experience.

How does Red Sun Farms encourage consumption? We deliver the highest quality and best flavour to ensure an unforgettable eating experience through our variety selection process. The Red Sun Farms team is always creating new recipes designed to showcase our tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. These inspirational recipes are delicious and will get the creative juices flowing.