A collaboration between a greenhouse tomato-on-the-vine producer and leading marketer and distributor Oppy has created Frank & Able, described by the groups as 'the new name for greenhouse tomato quality and enjoyment'.
Canada-based Sunshine Greenhouse owners Dirk and Keith Vis and their brother-in-law Devin Jaspers have teamed with Oppy to market the first Frank & Able tomatoes later this month.
The Vis family has grown greenhouse tomatoes-on-the-vine since 1989, when Dirk and Keith’s father Andy and mother Alice began with half an acre under glass in Redcliff, Alberta.
Now owned and operated by the younger generation and producing year-round on 13 acres - including the winter months where low temperatures hover in the single digits Fahrenheit - Dirk Vis, general manager, noted that the Frank & Able brand is true to the character of the company and its heritage.
“Through honesty and hard work, we are growing a basic necessity of life - nutritious, wholesome fresh produce,” he said. “As we rejuvenate our overall go-to-market approach, we’re anchoring our efforts with a brand that reflects what’s really important to us. By being frank and being able, we do our very best to grow well and deliver especially high quality every day.”
“It’s a simple idea that we believe will create confidence at the trade and consumer level,” said James Milne, vice president of marketing at Oppy. “Here’s a group of earnest young growers who have taken to heart the values of the last generation and made them relevant to today’s market.
'The Oppy marketing team rolled up its sleeves to undertake a very fun and energetic brand development collaboration with Dirk, Keith and Devin,' he added. 'Guided by the growers’ values, we created a look and feel for Frank & Able that truly expresses the spirit of the brand, as well as the positioning line and the architecture that will sustain it into the future.”
