Consumer and media interest in tomatoes reached new levels last week as the first-ever black tomato was launched in the UK. Collaboration between Syngenta Seeds and Fresh Link Marketing saw Kumato rolled out for trials in selected Sainsbury’s stores, with emphasis firmly attached to its unique colour and distinctive flavour.
As the UK tomato season begins taste is once again at the top of the agenda. “It’s what British product offers that makes the difference,” says Paul Faulkner, marketing director at Fresh Link Marketing. “I don’t believe that during the season you will taste a better tomato. This year we have redesigned our packaging with bigger Union Jacks to emphasise what is best about our product.”
Sainsbury’s has restructured its offer to reflect this growing confidence in home-grown produce. This season 65 per cent of its tomatoes will be UK-sourced. “Last UK season that figure was between 40-45 per cent, so that is a significant increase,” says category buyer Tristan Kitchener. “UK tomatoes have a lot to offer - they have an easier journey from field to plate. Ultimately it is all about giving a better product and although Sainsbury’s has always had high volumes of UK produce, we haven’t always shouted about it - but that is about to change.”
Although growers have faced severe economic pressure in recent years, 2003 was a better year for the British tomato industry than there has been in some time. “Prices were reasonable, demand was good and continental crops didn’t fare particularly well in the heat of last summer,” says Gerry Hayman, executive officer at the British Tomato Growers’ Association. “In addition to that, UK consumers are beginning to recognise the value of local produce and there is a big push towards encouraging that. Our aim is to continue producing the best value for money in terms of flavour, varieties and eating quality, and educating consumers on how tomatoes are produced. We will be doing lots of shows around the country and in-store promotions this year, emphasising seasonality.”
In the last five years there has been a major shift in terms of varieties, says Hayman and now the focus is on speciality types. “The percentages of total area grown are cherry: 14 per cent, cocktail: nine per cent, classic/traditional salad tomatoes: 60 per cent and beef: just over 2.5 per cent.”
The tomato category has gone through enormous change, agrees salad account manager William Church at Jersey Produce Marketing Organisation (JMPO). “New varieties are important and retailers are always looking for the next big thing. New varieties have to be able to deliver in terms of quality and taste. We have done a lot of work on Aranca, but have never found anything to exceed it. Jersey was the first to grow classic round tomatoes with mildew resistance and it also has a special place in terms of beefsteak varieties and has increased its acreage on that. They can be difficult to grow but are an important part of the tomato category as a whole.”
Stubbins Marketing Ltd’s strategy for the future of tomato production and supply of UK tomatoes is directly governed by changing consumer demand. “We have to maintain an informed and flexible approach to crop production if UK tomato producers are to keep ahead of our foreign counterparts,” says Stubbins managing director Mario Difrancesco. “Our customers are on our doorstep and UK consumers are very opinionated on the subject of tomatoes, so we have no excuse when it comes to obtaining information and data about the future trends for the industry. In fact we recently commissioned our own independent survey about certain aspects of consumer demand concerning salads. In the case of tomatoes much of this information will form the basis of crop planning for the near future.”
The crop balance has changed radically at Stubbins’ Nursery at Rhymney Valley since coming under its ownership. “We wanted crop production to reflect consumer demand for the more speciality tomato types while not forgetting the classic round tomato which remains the number one seller,” says Difrancesco. “We have turned half the nursery over to tomato types such as baby plum, midi plum on-the-vine, cocktail and round tomatoes on-the-vine. We also have commercial trials of some new, exclusive varieties selected for both colour and flavour. We want to take control of these speciality types ourselves to ensure a continuity and consistency of quality product. But we have not neglected the classic tomato and although not the heaviest yielding varieties, the other half of the nursery is growing Eloisa and Dometica. These varieties have proved themselves in our crop screening trials and demonstrated in taste panels that they have the texture and flavour that the consumer requires.”
As a testimony to the consistent quality achieved by Stubbins in its first year at Rhymney Valley, it was one of the True Taste / Gwir Flas Wales Food & Drink Awards Winners 2003-4 for its baby plum tomatoes. Difrancesco sees these awards as recognition for the nursery staff’s efforts and a reward for his and customer’s new product development teams. “Getting the message to the consumer about the effort we, as growers, are making to improve tomato quality and particularly flavour, makes the publicity associated with this type of award an essential part of increasing consumer awareness and interest. This year we will be have a new product for the competition. It will be one of our exclusive new varieties introduced commercially from our new product development trials and we are hopeful of success again.”
Investment this year at Rhymney Valley has centered on the introduction of a new energy saving system to maximise usage of the available heat output through conservation and storage and the delivery of this heat when most required by the tomato plant. This year Rhymney Valley will, for the first time, produce its own prepacked and loose fruit, which it will deliver directly to customer’s depots. During the last year the packhouse has been completely refurbished and new machinery installed and in the autumn the packing facility obtained BRC Higher Level accreditation. “Packing at source is an important step forward in our drive to offer the best possible quality, certainly the freshest, in the most cost-effective way to customers,” explains Difrancesco. “It is a policy we have implemented at all of our crop production sites and in doing so we are also able to support our customers commitment to regional sourcing.”
This season at Rhymney Valley Nursery, light levels to-date have been 20 per cent lower than average levels and this will delay the start of their season. However Difrancesco makes it clear that Stubbins does not aim to be one of the very early tomato producers. “We take a global view on the supply of tomatoes to our customers and want to offer continuity of the best quality at the most competitive price. For this reason we have our own and partner grower’s production overseas, which provides a clear overlap with UK start dates and takes account of any unseasonable, weather conditions.
“In the last eight years we have seen a dramatic change in UK tomato production acreages and customers insistence on better flavour and variety choice. As an industry we need to get closer to the consumer to determine if we have been and are now moving in the right direction or if their requirements are still not being satisfied. Tomato acreage in the UK is now at a point where any further reduction will leave the UK tomato completely exposed to the threat from overseas producers. UK consumers want UK tomatoes but if we cannot provide the continuity then their replacement by imports and the acceptance of imports during the summer period becomes inevitable,” he warns.
Waitrose has shown a firm commitment to its UK growers this year, says Rik Connor, business unit manager at Wight Salads. “The fruit was in-store before any other multiple on February 5 and has been exceptional in terms of quality. Never has the fruit tasted so good at such an early stage - it has really delivered in terms of flavour and quality.
All Waitrose fruits, from standard to premium are grown for quality and flavour. “Provenance is a key marketing tool,” says Connor, “but not at the expense of poor fruit.
“A mild winter has helped the crops this year,” Connor continues, “but the light levels were not as exceptional as in 2002-3. However better agronomic practices and investment through the support of Waitrose and other customers in new glass has helped the process.”
The Isle of Wight has always benefited from higher light levels and clement weather because of the maritime climate. Produce is grown in the Arreton Valley - a swathe of land cradled between the Solent and the English Channel. “Waitrose stocked UK tomatoes until the last week of November in 2003 - so there is potential for a 10 month season this year,” says Connor. “The entire summer range will be on the shelf by March 14 with imports being phased out by the end of April with the exception of some premium Sardinian lines supplied by Suncrop.”
Waitrose has reduced its range this year, but offers a point of difference through varietal selection on the standard lines and exclusively grown varieties in the premium collections. “The classic six-pack has a specially selected variety, Honey, which is grown for Waitrose. This is already achieving 5.3 plus in brix readings and has been grown to deliver high sugar content. Red Choice a red cocktail tomato is also an exclusive variety as is Jack Hawkins a full red beef tomato left on the vine as long as possible. New to Waitrose this year is golden midi plum Golden Amber and Golden Cherry. Pome dei Moro is one of the success stories of the season. It is a midi plum fully flavoured on the vine during winter and has been supplied by Salad Grower of the Year - Valley Grown Salads.”
Waitrose sales have been rising in excess of 20 per cent for the last two years in the tomato category and, says Connor, although they do peak in summer they no longer drop off in winter. “We envisage further growth this year, which is testament to the hard work of the three tomato suppliers and the Waitrose team led by Claire Burton, Waitrose salad buyer, and John Foley, head of buying.
“Most people say that the flavour develops most in the last few days which is the greatest advantage of UK fruit - that it can be picked in the morning on the Isle of Wight and be in some stores that evening. Imported fruit has to be picked to be able to cope with the logistic requirements.”
Many UK consumers do want to purchase home-grown fruit, but current concerns for health have also provided a new incentive to purchase. “We have great opportunities in terms of our products,” says Hayman. “Healthy eating is very topical and there are now many concerns about obesity. As an industry we need to capitalise on that and use it to our best advantage.”
“There is a big push in the breeding side to get ahead with the lycopene issue,” says Fresh Link’s technical manager Tim Haworth. “The 5-a-day schemes and Fruit for Schools initiative reveal tremendous political pressure on eating healthily.”
Few seasons progress without some form of challenge, and this year, competition from Poland has been highlighted as a possible threat.
“Polish tomatoes were around last year, although only the classic line came onto the market,” says Church. “Some people were very impressed by them and went on to purchase direct. When Poland does join the EU, post-May and can take advantage of EU trade agreements then production will undoubtedly increase. As it stands, the cost of production is already low - they have the advantage of cheap transport and the labour factor will be enormous.”
The UK tomato industry has had its difficulties in the past, but with increasing retail focus on home-grown product and continued development in the sector, there is every reason to be optimistic. “We’re focusing on breeding and emphasising taste,” says Haworth, “we are also close to becoming pesticide free - and that is a major benefit over imported produce.”
“Our whole aim and objective is to promote UK tomatoes,” Hayman concludes, “and we can do that because they are being produced better and fresher with nutrients at a higher level. The whole point is that they are better and they are also worth paying for.”
CHAIN CO-OPERATION IS THE KEY TO FINDING THE RIGHT VARIETIES FOR THE UK MARKET
It is not so difficult to come up with innovations as a breeding company, but to come up with ideas that suit all the partners in the chain is a much more difficult process. Stubbins is working closely with retail customers and breeding company Rijk Zwaan and as a result of this co-operation is now introducing Dometica RZ, as the first of a range of varieties that offer a real tomato taste.
Different regions have clearly defined preferences for the type of tomato required and are looking for tomatoes to meet specific requirements. “This is the reason that Rijk Zwaan have close contacts with different partners in the chain,” says chain manager Vincent van Wolferen. “We have a team of retail specialists in close contact with all links in the chain. As a result of this co-operation we are in close contact with the final consumer and able to introduce new developments that fit with contemporary wishes and demands.”
“Together with our customers we had a critical look at market for the different types of tomato,” says Andrew Haycock, technical director at Stubbins. “This review led us to segment where innovations and new introductions were needed most. With the three parties around the table we established a trials programme, last year, to assess selected varieties at commercial sites in the UK, the Netherlands and Spain. We were testing a range of new material against existing varieties and although we wanted to establish the key growing characteristics such as yield, plant habit and resistances, of particular interest were retail and consumer quality aspects of taste and flavour and shelf life. To ensure that quality aspects were consistent throughout the season we maintained regular checks on all criteria and believe we have discovered some potentially interesting new varieties that will be introduced commercially in the coming years.
“The introduction of Dometica RZ at our Rhymney Valley Nursery, a classic round tomato, selected for its intense flavour, is the result of effective chain co-operation,” says Haycock. “This type of development fits perfectly with the way Stubbins wants to proceed. We are a company that is looking for long-term relationships with our customers and suppliers and this is an example of a development from seed to consumer, which fulfils this policy. Dometica RZ brings us the extra something that we are looking for in varieties today. The high flavour level, combined with its good growing characteristics, makes it a tomato which meets all the requirements in the supply chain.”
Dometica RZ may prove to be only the beginning. Commercial trials this year at Stubbins will lead to the introduction of a range of varieties specially selected with the consumer’s demand for flavour in mind. In the near future not only will the classic round tomato be improved but there will also be the introduction of new cocktail and cherry tomato types. “I really believe that this chain co-operation is the key to finding and establishing new varieties to meet UK consumer demand,” Haycock concludes.
GREENERY MAPS OUT TOMATO PLANS
The Greenery and its growers have invested in securing exceptional expertise in understanding the tomato consumer. This has included a unique study designed to pinpoint consumer’s ideal tomato, known as preference mapping, which combines consumer research and sensory analysis by experts.
The research allowed The Greenery to identify distinct consumer preference segments, the ideal tomato per preference segment, and the tomatoes best suited to different sensory profiles. Preference mapping is a prime example of one way in which The Greenery has added a new tool to help with category management. The returns it can deliver to its UK growers and customers are exceptional.
One of the key benefits of the work has been to help retailers pinpoint the ideal tomatoes to sell in order to secure maximum sales and profits from their own consumers and allows The Greenery to better advise its growers on the varieties and quantities they should grow, and to brief seed companies to develop new varieties in accordance with known consumer preferences.
Variety developments continue to drive growth. By bringing numerous new varieties to the market in the past 10 years, Greenery growers have done much to ensure the continued appeal of the tomato to all ages and socio-economic groups. Continuous efforts in areas such as improving taste and shelf life, together with the appeal to consumers at point-of-purchase of different types of packs, have helped ensure that retailers continue to profit from this key fresh produce line.
According to The Greenery’s marketing experts, variety will continue to drive the tomato category in the UK, as will new developments and associated packaging and presentation developments.
DUTCH AND UK GROWERS WORKING TOGETHER
Quality and innovation are the priorities for the Humber VHB tomato growers who joined the ranks of The Greenery when a joint marketing venture was agreed in 2002. Runcton Nursery in West Sussex is one of the Humber VHB tomato crop growing sites. As with all UK growers, the production focus is primarily on developing tomato fruit quality and flavour - the main attributes for UK supermarkets.
This season three main tomato product lines are being produced at Runcton Nursery and all have been developed with supermarket technologists and buyers to ensure a premium tomato every time.
Some of the more recent crop developments include the use of different root stocks to help protect plants from the disease Verticillium albo-atrum and also to ensure that summer plant vigour is maintained. Runcton’s operations director Dr Paul Challinor explains: “This year, all the plants have been grafted onto root stocks and it has made a huge difference so far. This technique will help to maintain a strong plant throughout the summer, meaning that fruit quality is consistent and regular.”
Challinor believes the venture with The Greenery is beneficial to both Dutch and British growers, creating a free flow of information and knowledge sharing. “We can liaise with our Dutch colleagues on issues such as new varieties and on growing techniques such as nutrient recirculation and crop lighting,” he says.
Humber VHB produces a range of speciality tomato crops at its Runcton Nursery site. The baby plum variety Santa was grown for the first time in 2003 and proved popular with customers owing to its distinctive shape and high impact flavour. This variety is picked at a high colour stage and is marketed as single fruit, rather than on-the-vine, in a 250g punnet. This year, the range of baby plum varieties has increased to include Dasher and Cassanta.
The midi-plum variety Flavorino was first produced at Runcton Nursery in the year 2000, following extensive trials, and is characterised by its excellent appearance, fruit colour and sweet flavour. Flavorino is harvested as eight tomatoes on a fruiting vine.
Although classic round tomatoes have not been grown at the nursery since 2000, the variety Encore has been included this year as a mildew tolerant, high yielding replacement for Espero. In addition, Star is being produced as a high flavour, speciality round tomato suitable for pre-packing.
All tomato varieties have been grafted onto rootstocks in order to provide additional summer plant vigour and also to help combat disease problems, such as infection by Verticillium wilt. This technique was utilised for the first time in 2003 on all tomato crops at Runcton Nursery with very encouraging results.
The introduction of a range of natural enemies of common glasshouse pests affecting crops is standard practice at Runcton Nursery and great importance is placed on the utilisation of new predatory and parasitic insects as they become available. The major pest of tomato crops is whitefly and growers in the UK have been introducing a tiny parasitic wasp called Encarsia formosa to control this pest since the 1970s. Red spider mites are controlled by introducing Phytoseiulus persimilis predatory mites and other pests such as leaf miner, caterpillars and mealy bug may all be tackled with biological controls.
Plants are propagated under lights at a separate site and transferred to Runcton in December. Flowering usually starts in January and the first loose fruit or trusses are harvested from late March until the middle of November of the same year. Bumblebee hives are also introduced into the crop from the onset of flowering to ensure the flowers are properly pollinated and that the fruit shape and overall quality fully match the requirements of the customer. These hives are regularly checked over the crop production season, in order to maintain the optimum bee numbers in the crop.
Plants are trimmed and trained by hand on a weekly basis and the fruit or fruit trusses are also harvested by hand to ensure fruit is selected at the optimum stage of ripeness for the product. The fruit is then distributed to the relevant supermarket depot using refrigerated transport ensuring that the freshness of the product is maintained.
The old crop is cleared at the end of November and is prepared for composting at a nearby organic farm. The plants are grown in a sterile slab medium, rockwool and all of the crop requirement for nutrients and water are provided via a drip irrigation system. Any nutrient solution that is not utilised by the plants is collected, filtered, sterilised using ultra-violet light and recirculated back to the plants. The rockwool slabs are recycled at the end of each year by pulverising the material and incorporating it into the manufacturing process for new house bricks.
TRENDS ON THE RIGHT TRACK
•The UK tomato sector grew by 10.9 per cent in the past 12 months and is worth £517 million.
•Virtually all households buy - and regularly buy every two to three weeks.
•Purchases of round and cherry varieties account for more than two-thirds of consumer expenditure on tomatoes.
•The best performer from a trade point of view in the past year - growing by 20.5 per cent - has been vine tomatoes.
•The continuing growth in the popularity of speciality tomatoes has significantly increased the average amount of money consumers pay for the fruit.
•Round tomatoes are always available in more than two-thirds of UK homes; they are mainly used in sandwiches and salads.
•Tomatoes on the vine are favoured for salads and, along with cherry tomatoes, are often purchased as a healthy snack.
•UK consumers greatly value the taste, convenience, healthy eating and versatility attributes of tomatoes - and the way they add colour to a meal.
•Firmness and a good red colour are also important at point of purchase.
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