“There's going to be a commercial trial at a few Tesco locations from production grown by a local UK grower,” said Tokita's Gregorio Padula. The tomato's first commercial foray came after a grower who was running trials of the tomato in his fields showed it to Tesco representatives who were impressed by the variety. The Sungreen cherry tomato is a green cherry tomato that has a high sugar content. Padula said that it was originally seen as an excellent addition to multi-variety packs of tomatoes, but it so impressed Tesco's reps that it will be featured as a stand-alone product.
“We had much interest after we presented the tomato at Fruit Logistica, and Tesco picking it up is a big success for us because it will be promoted as a stand-alone product,” said Padula. The first run of production will come from only half a hectare of production, as it's intended to gauge interest for a future, possibly larger run. Padula noted that the item will probably not have wide appeal immediately, but he thinks it can grow as a niche item.
“It's not easy to get consumers used to a green cherry tomato, so it will be a challenge for them to accept this new variety,” said Padula. “But once people buy it and taste it, I think it will be successful.” The Sungreen cherry tomato will be available at select Tesco supermarkets starting this week.
For more information:
Dr. Gregorio Padula
TOKITA SEMENTI ITALIA Srl
1
81, C.so Garibaldi 47100 Forlì, Italië
Tel.: +39 543 756143
Fax: +39 543 031496
Mobile: +39 333 1455111
E-mail: gregorio.padula@tokitasementi.it
www.tokitasementi.it