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Usage plays into the variety demand. “Customers buy different tomatoes for different uses,” says Sam Marrogy, produce manager at Harbortown Market, an inde- pendent gourmet grocery in Detroit. “They buy the smaller ones for salads but larger ones for slicing, so retail has an opportunity for multiple sales in the same category.”
2: SNACKING AND SPECIALTIES
One of the biggest opportunities in the category has been the advent of the snacking and specialty tomatoes. “The growth drivers in the category right now are the snacking tomatoes, grape tomato and blended flavors,” says Spano.
K-VA-T’s Cox agrees these are the most trending items, “Snacking and specialty toma- toes have become items with many uses,” he says. “It’s very convenient for consumers, and there are so many different choices.”
These grape/cocktail tomatoes are among the bestselling, according to Christou, due to consistent appearance, quality and flavor profile. “New snacking varieties have been instrumental in expanding the consumption of tomatoes, especially for consumers with busy lifestyles,” he says. “For example, our excep-
tionally sweet Bon Bon grape tomatoes come in a grab-and-go 5.5-ounce cup or re-sealable bag, perfect for the on-the-go consumer.”
Harold Paivarinta, senior director and head of sales for North America for Red Sun Farms in Kingsville, ON, reports grape tomatoes, both organic and convention- ally grown, have been the cornerstone of Red Sun’s snacking tomato program. “We have also experienced significant growth in our medleys as well,” he says. “And, our award-winning Cherry-On-The-Vine has been growing consistently since 2011 with no signs of slowing down.”
K-VA-T increasingly devotes more space to snacking tomatoes. “We’re seeing really good results from this part of the category,” says Cox. “Instead of doing just a stand-by grape tomato, we’re advertising the Cherub
tomato from Nature Sweet. We also handle Sweetpops from Red Sun.”
3: GIVE AMPLE ROOM
Display space for tomatoes should parallel their importance to the department. “We know tomatoes are a volume driver,” says Mucci Farms’ Spano. “Good retailers will dedicate a significant amount of space and pride themselves on their tomato displays. Some of our close customers have 20, 30 or 40 different tomato SKUs in their stores.”
Tomatoes are a destination, emphasizes Pure Flavor’s Veillon, and should be treated accordingly. “As the produce aisle’s strongest mover, the category should be located at the front of the store to capture consumer interest as they begin their shopping experience,” he says. “A number of retailers use end caps to draw people in to the category, which proves to be successful to get those who may bypass the tomato aisle.”
K-VA-T devotes more space to tomatoes because of the increasing variety and pack- aging, according to Cox. “You must devote the right amount of space to get a good representation of all the different types of tomatoes to stimulate increased sales,” he says.
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