The first arrivals of Finest British tomatoes on the vine hit the shelves in Tesco stores across the UK last week, supplied by Isle of Wight-based grower Wight Salads. And in response to increased consumer demand, the number of stores that will stock this line is to increase by 100 outlets this year.
The supplier is also planning to trial a promotional push for locally grown product in 60 Kent stores in May.
Robert Blackmore at Wight Salads told FPJ: “This year is going to be a big year for home-grown tomatoes, as there has been an awful lot of interest from consumers about UK-sourced produce.”
The premium product will be available in 580 Tesco stores this year.
This will also be the first year that British tomatoes on the vine will be available for a full season in Tesco Express stores, Blackmore told FPJ. “We are hoping to grow that side of the business this year,” he added.
A limited amount of Finest Jersey Jewel, supplied by Jersey-based grower Harmony Produce, will also be available this week in the Southampton area.
Blackmore said: “The Finest Jersey Jewel will be available in larger volumes in the next few weeks. We’ve had two to three days of decent sunlight, which has really brought the crop on and it will move quickly.”
Both packs will feature photographs of growers to bring the consumer closer to the grower and to highlight provenance, Blackmore said.
Mike Flux, a grower for Wight Salads in the Kent area, will appear on packs of Finest British tomatoes on the vine, and Kevin Hervé, a grower for Jersey-based Harmony Produce, will feature on Jersey Jewel packs.
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