Pure Flavor's Rocco Reds were awarded Chef’s Choice recognition at the Annual Greenhouse Competition held at the Leamington Fair on Friday, May 22, further cementing its title as “The Chef’s Tomato.” Greenhouse growers from across the region gathered to showcase the quality, consistency and innovation behind locally grown produce.

Severe winter storms and freezes in Florida significantly reduced spring tomato supplies, while adverse weather in Mexico limited the market’s ability to offset the shortfall. As a result, tomato prices rose sharply, increasing about 15 percent in March and nearly 40 percent in April compared with the same period last year. Rising diesel and transportation costs added further pressure, much of which was ultimately passed through to consumers at the supermarket produce department.

Windset Farms' ARIA Tomatoes - Sweet Brilliance has been recognized with two prestigious honors at the PAC Global Awards, a program celebrating the world’s top designers, innovators and changemakers in packaging and beyond.

Judges praised ARIA Tomatoes’ premium packaging design, noting how beautifully it reflects the exceptional quality of the tomatoes inside. Windset Farms received the following distinctions:

To support consumers who want fresh, simple foods to begin healthier routines, Lipman Family Farms offers reliable staples that are good from the ground up, like in-season round tomatoes.

As retailers move through their first quarter, Lipman sees round tomatoes continuing to play a central role in winter assortments to support displays, value-driven promotions and consumers returning to everyday meals created with fresh produce.

ARIA tomatoes are now available in stores bringing elevated flavor to the stage with an inviting glow and showstopping taste. Their radiant sheen and luminous, red finish compliment a refined sweetness within. Every crisp bite is bursting with refreshing flavor, offering pure sweet brilliance, nature perfected.

As consumers continue to focus on home cooking, demand is growing for produce that inspires creativity and transforms everyday meals using high quality ingredients.

The tomato category is one of the top sales volume contributors in the produce department. Tomato sales for a 52-week period were a whopping $4.8 billion. That’s a whole lot of sales the category provided for retailers. Conventional tomatoes generated $4.5 billion with organic tomatoes at $325 million.