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Red Sun Farms offers a high-tech future

By
Seth Mendelson

The Red Sun Farms team is ready to connect with attendees of the International Fresh Produce Association’s Global Produce & Floral show and educate them about the Kingsville, ON, Canada-based company’s latest innovations in products and packaging.

One of the largest fully integrated high-tech greenhouse companies to own and operate farms in Canada, Mexico and the U.S., Red Sun officials hope to educate attendees on how vertical integration closes the gap between grower, retailer and the consumer.

“Our booth serves as a learning hub for greenhouse education, specifically designed to engage and inform visitors who may not be familiar with how our growing facilities operate,” said Harold Paivarinta, the vice president of sales and business development. “We love inviting attendees to stop by booth No. B739 to learn more.”

Paivarinta said that Red Sun Farms offers a wide range of products, from fresh tomatoes, Bell peppers and cucumbers to specialty snacking varieties like grape, cherry, and medley tomatoes, mini peppers and mini cucumbers.

“With the feedback from our customers and expert growing teams, we are always trialing new, flavorful varieties to expand our portfolio,” he said. “This year, we are excited to highlight our Sweet Family product line, which includes Sweetpops tomatoes, Sweetpeps mini peppers and Sweetpeaks long peppers. These sweet varieties bring a burst of flavor to any dish, perfect for healthy snacking or adding natural sweetness to your meals. Get ready for the sweetest snacking tomato you have ever tasted. It is arguably the most delicious snacking tomato in the entire universe.”

Paivarinta grew up on a farm and has spent his career in the produce industry, starting on the retail side before moving into the grower shipper business. He said his experience has helped him develop a strong passion about the produce industry, the people involved in the market and the relationships that he has built with his customers over the years.

That, apparently, has played a big role in the company’s history and its growth, with Paivarinta explaining that Red Sun Farms was built on a foundation of shared values of trust, collaboration, accountability and innovation.

“Today, we are one of North America’s largest vertically integrated greenhouse operations, with farms and distribution centers across the U.S., Canada and Mexico,” he added. “Our unique Seed to Plate model allows us to control every step of the process — from seed selection to growing, harvesting, packing and distribution. This ensures that our customers consistently receive fresh, flavorful and high-quality produce year-round.”

The future looks good too, he said. “We view product innovation in the greenhouse segment as a biproduct of all three parties collaborating in unison,” Paivarinta said. “New item introduction is the final step in the process that begins with seed breeders, grower/shippers and retail partners deeply engaged in transparent, 3-way discussions to identify what the North American consumer is looking for and can those specific traits be bred into commercial varieties.”

Also, he said, the discussions explore whether those varieties be cultivated and shipped at prices that are affordable while provide value and health benefits to the North American consumer.

“It is a lengthy process but when executed well, we have experienced tremendous results. Sweetpops has been the best example to date,” Paivarinta said. “We anticipate growth to occur across all greenhouse categories in the coming years. Tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers are going to remain the key focus with perhaps a few other items that we are not prepared to announce at this time.”

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