The pandemic changed the dynamics of nearly every aspect of business and industry, and this was certainly true when it comes to the buying and selling of tomatoes.
“This past year,” Jimmy Connell, president of Keith Connell, Inc., BB #:105626 of Kansas City, MO, recalls, “there was excess supply because all of foodservice was gone.” Indeed, the early months of the pandemic—with shutdowns and foodservice nonexistent across the nation—there was a sizeable glut of tomatoes.
Fortunately, like many other fresh fruits and vegetables, tomatoes saw their fortunes rise as consumers stocked up at retailers, and tomatoes were a part of nearly every basket.
This is borne out by numbers: retail sales of fresh tomatoes reportedly rose 17.6 percent in 2020 over the prior year, as consumers were forced to cook and eat more at home.
The most common and best-known tomatoes—round, beefsteak, on-the-vine, cherry, grape, and Roma—sold at a brisk pace. Newer types, however, were also vying for space at grocers.
Fruit in nontraditional hues ranging from red, orange, pink, and white to green, purple, brown, and black, and even multicolor combinations, continue to garner attention and gain market share.
Other new cultivars are regularly bred for visual appeal, size, yield, taste, as well as disease and pest resistance. A recent addition is the Yoom tomato (taking its name from umami), which burst onto the scene and grocery shelves in Europe, Australia, Japan, Korea, and China, and is on its way to North America.
Like the brown Kumato introduced 20 years ago, Yoom was developed in Spain by Syngenta Seeds. The award-winning, deep purple cocktail tomato is packed with nutrients, including higher concentrations of antioxidants than red tomatoes, and is said to provide high levels of Vitamin C, magnesium, and potassium.
While rounds and Romas remain the most popular with shoppers for their versatility and consistent flavor, tomatoes with a more robust taste are also capturing retail dollars as consumers look for healthy snacks.
Julia Shreve, marketing director of brand and innovation at Mastronardi Produce Ltd., BB #:115453 based in Kingsville, ON, confirms snacking tomatoes are on an upward trajectory.
“Consumers are migrating to tomatoes with fuller flavor, so that’s what is driving a significant portion of the growth in the category,” she says.
“We’re continually investing in research and development to find new varieties and breakthroughs to remain in the game and stay ahead of innovation,” Shreve says.
One such innovation is Lolli Bombs, award-winning yellow on-the-vine snacking tomatoes, the newest addition to Mastronardi’s Bombs high-flavor lineup.
Shreve says Lolli Bombs are “very sweet like candy,” with what she characterizes as “an explosive flavor that fans of our Bombs have come to expect.”
This is an excerpt from the Tomato Spotlight in the November/December 2021 issue of Produce Blueprints Magazine. Click here to read the whole issue.
