Market Minute: Tomatoes bouncing back to enable more promotions
Did you ever wonder where tomatoes actually came from?
They were first discovered in South America and Mexico. The Aztecs were eating them as early as 700 AD. Tomatoes started to be grown in Britain in the 1590s. The first tomatoes were originally yellow-golden in color, and they are technically a fruit. Now there are over 10,000 tomato varieties.
In more recent news, the current tomato market has improved with availability and price.
The supplies out of Mexico are showing a light demand on a steady market. The shipping point out of California is fairly light on most product with grape tomatoes in the moderate range.
The greenhouse tomato market out of Canada has fallen and is commanding lower tomato prices in other areas. This opens the door for some great advertising promotions.
Generating mega tomato sales depends on the size, varieties and packages you display. Customers prefer to see and shop several choices of tomatoes, not just two or three. Some produce departments display up to 10 different loose and packaged tomato assortments.
Your tomato supplier will have additional information to help you in planning ads. In the meantime, how about a nice bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich for lunch today?
Ron Pelger is a produce industry adviser and industry writer. He can be contacted at 775/843-2394 or by e-mail at [email protected].
