"We get a lot of good reactions," says Jens Luiten of Kordaat Product Design from behind a row of tomato dispensers developed by the company. "Especially children are filling up their cups to the rim." The horticultural open days were a good opportunity to promote the tomato tap. Jens enthusiastically promoted the Tommies from Greenco and encouraged people to try out the remarkable tomato dispensers. "To see whether the tomato taps that we dare also 'vandal proof'."
The little tomatoes from the dispensers were taken quite eagerly
Greenco
Kordaat started to work on the development of the dispenser after tomato supplier Greenco came to them with the request to make buying snack tomatoes even more exciting. Jens: "The pick & mix system is now known to the customer and is not that hygienic. We have worked on a solution that is hygienic and that also has a tasty appearance, tapping tomatoes as if they were M&Ms."
The first versions of the dispenser were put together by Kordaat themselves. Jens: "The dispenser can be disassembled completely without tools and therefore is easy to clean well. Important is also the FIFO, First In, First Out principle. The tomatoes can be topped up in the dispenser and they come out at the bottom via a conveyor belt. Normally tomatoes remain at the bottom of a box in the supermarket and become old. Now the bottom tomatoes are always fresh and come out first."
Jens Luiten with the tomato dispensers
As a result of the findings and reactions during Get in the Greenhouse, the dispenser will be further developed. Jens: "Not all kinds of snack tomatoes are rolling smoothly from the dispenser and even when tapping, sometimes a tomato will fall. We will have to come up with solutions for that, for example a cone to prevent falling."
The Jumbo supermarket has already shown interest in the dispensers and the supermarket may also want to use them in the very short term in the fruit section. The guys at Kordaat know what to do next: deliver a perfectly working tomato dispenser as quickly as possible. Jens: "In the Westland there is a lot of product knowledge available, but sometimes it lacks a bit of charisma. We like to help where necessary, just to give that little bit extra to a product."
For more information:
Kordaat Product Design
www.designkordaat.nl
[email protected]
Greenco
www.greenco.nl
[email protected]