TOMZ® have taken the produce industry by storm. Launched in June of 2016, this line of snacking tomatoes is defined by a focus on flavor, consistency and quality. Every tomato will put your taste buds through an unforgettable journey beginning with the first bite, bursting through the snappy skin of our TOMZ® and into the surplus of flavor that will leave you mesmerized by the experience. Whether you’re snacking on a Red Cherry Tomato, a Red, Yellow or Orange Grape Tomato, a Cocktail Tomato or any other variety within our Mixed Snacking Tomatoes, you can expect a unique and unforgettable experience with every bite.
“Who’s Tom? He grows some awesome tomatoes!” is a quote I hear fairly frequently when sampling TOMZ® tomatoes, as we frequently do on our Greenhouse Education Center visits. TOMZ® aren’t human, they’re a brand focused on encompassing our entire snacking line of tomatoes at NatureFreshTM.
You may be wondering, how did all this begin, where did TOMZ® come from? It all started with an idea to bring an entire line of snacking tomatoes under one brand and build the brand on a foundation of consistent, flavorful, high quality tomatoes. As Matt Q., Key Retail Account Manager put it, “We want customers to be able to pick up a package of TOMZ® no matter the time of year and have complete confidence that it’ll be the same flavorful tomato every time.” Because of our facilities in Ohio and Ontario, and the strategic timing of our growing seasons, we can provide TOMZ® year-round to our loyal customers. TOMZ® tomatoes will always be from the same farm, the same grower and grown to the same NatureFreshTM standard that has brought us to where we are today. This standard ensures customers will have a unique sensory experience with every tomato. Whether you’re a fan of tomatoes or not, the TOMZ® experience is one that people of all food preferences can enjoy. “TOMZ® are truly driving the future of snacking tomatoes,” said Peter Quiring, Owner of NatureFreshTM Farms. “We’ve taken the road less traveled with TOMZ® and it’s resulted in an extremely successful line of premium snacking tomatoes that consumers can’t get enough of.”
What makes TOMZ® tomatoes superior? It starts with finding the varieties that meet our standards of quality. I met with our Trial and Development lead Benny T who is in charge of trialing over 300 varieties of tomatoes in search of the best varieties on the market. “Each variety is judged based on appearance, shelf-life, production and of course, flavor. In order for us to grow a certain variety, it has to excel in all of these categories.” Our TOMZ® varieties are the best of the best. In fact, our TOMZ® Red Cherry just recently won the Best Bite Sized Tomato and Best Overall Tomato and our TOMZ® Cocktail Tomato won the Best Cocktail Tomato at the Greenhouse Vegetable Awards in Leamington, ON. A copious amount of effort is put into our trials to ensure we are never settling for what we have already accomplished, but instead, striving to find areas to improve.
Having the best seed variety on the market doesn’t necessarily translate into the best tomato on the market. Once the seed has been planted, it’s up to our team of growers to ensure each variety can reach their maximum potential. As the saying goes, “Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.” The talent represents the seed variety and the hard work represents our team of growers who are constantly doing everything they can to create a high-quality product by incorporating an in depth growing strategy. Isaac B, one of our growers at NatureFreshTM Farms, attributes the flavor of TOMZ® in part to the vine ripening process. This means we will leave our tomatoes on the vine until they are full color ensuring the maximum amount of sugars and nutrients have been taken up by the fruit. We are able to vine ripen all of our products due to our close proximity to our customers, ensuring maximum flavor and freshness.
There are many other challenges that present themselves when growing a product with standards set to the level of TOMZ®. This is where water levels and nutrient levels become crucial. But you can’t forget about the environment of the greenhouse as well; factors such as temperature, humidity, and CO2 levels are just as important. Ensuring the crop is getting exactly what it needs at all times is what it comes down to and our growers must overcome these factors to uphold that standard that TOMZ® is known for. This takes a level of commitment that may be too much for some, but it’s a commitment our growers stand by and respect. Why? Because we respect the flavor.
Now that your taste buds are itching to try our tomatoes, you’re likely wondering where you can find them. You can find TOMZ® in local retail locations in Ontario and the Mid-West in the form of topseal clamshells or in our unique and innovative TomBar and TomBall machines. Any of these formats are exclusively stocked with TOMZ® and all fall under the same quality guarantee. Once you get your hands on TOMZ® , the possibilities are endless. Our diverse selection of varieties are great in any arrangement, whether you’re making a salad, grilling, roasting, searing or straight up snacking, you can’t go wrong with NatureFreshTM Farms TOMZ® tomatoes.
For more information on TOMZ® click here and remember, Snack. Your Way.
-Herman
