Wight Salads and Tesco are aiming to alter the common customer perception that salads are boring with the recent launch of Tesco’s new season, British vine toms.
A first for this pack shape and design in the fresh produce sector the launch provides an excellent vehicle to market the Finest* British vine tomato. “We are confident that the launch of this product will add value to the category and create a wow factor adding in-store theatre whilst focussing on seasonality at the launch of UK season and the lead up to the key May bank holiday trading period,” said Mike Hamlet, Tesco’s business unit manager at Wight Salads.
The vine tomato being used has been selected from hundreds of trial varieties and rigorously tested through a trained independent taste panel.
“Bred above all else for flavour,” said Hamlet, “this aromatic tomato combines sweetness and acidity with a juicy firm flesh. Left to ripen on the vine and harvested when at its best, this bright red fruit has a polished, glossy finish and fragrant green vine. This is what fresh British tomatoes are supposed to taste like.
“For maximum protection the ready-to-eat fruit is sold in resealable packaging that is designed to deliver, adding to the overall quality message. The freshly harvested fruit remains in the integral picking bag, guaranteeing that these Finest* tomatoes reach our customer in an optimum condition each and every time.
The key message to consumers is that Finest* tomatoes are for a special occasion, as Tesco looks to capitalise on impulse purchases and the desire of its customer base for real convenience. Research has shown that snacking could eventually account for almost 70 per cent of all eating occasions, and tomatoes should not be allowed to miss the boat.
Hamlet added: “Deflation is counter-balanced by innovation. 93.2 per cent of all UK household purchase tomatoes. After potatoes, tomatoes have the highest rate of consumption in the home. Therefore to drive category sales we need to increase the average weight of purchase and encourage trade up to the Finest* range by educating our customers to different product usage and meal occasions.”
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