“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.”