Tomatoes the size of berries have been launched at Sainsbury’s this week.
Tomberries - as they have been officially named - hit the shelves in limited volumes in 60 stores across the UK.
The variety, which was developed from a wild strain cultivated in Holland, measures only 1cm across. It has never before been grown commercially.
The tiny tomatoes have been produced by Dutch grower Theo Duyvestijn and supplied exclusively to Sainsbury’s by The Greenery UK.
The red and yellow fruit will form a guest line as part of the standard tomato range at Sainsbury’s for six weeks, with red product available first followed by mixed punnets when supply of yellow product comes on stream.
Gillian Barrow, a technologist at The Greenery UK, said: “The vines have hundreds of tiny tomatoes on them and, from a harvesting point of view, the grower has put in a lot of effort.
“The tomatoes are very sweet and their size is the point of difference - it makes them very versatile, whether you want to pick up a handful as a snack or put them on a pizza or into a salad.
“We are hoping that Tomberries will reappear at Sainsbury’s next year.”
The retailer, which has labelled the line as “tiny, tasty tomatoes”, is confident that the variety will be well received by adults and children alike.
Robert Honeysett, Sainsbury’s fresh produce technologist, said: “Tomberries are ideal for helping kids reach their 5 A DAY. You can’t resist just popping them in your mouth. In fact, I bet it is not just kids who take a liking to these tiny toms, they are very moreish.”
A 100g punnet will retail at £1.29.
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