Red Sun Farms, headquartered in Leamington, ON, began shipping both conventional and organic grape and cluster tomatoes from its new Dublin, VA, greenhouse facility last September. Jim DiMenna, company president, told The Produce News that it has been an amazing opportunity, and that the organic line is enjoying huge acceptance and success.

“We fell right in line with a really great market, and the quality of our first crop was beyond our expectations,” said DiMenna. “We have wrapped up that production period and have just replanted there. We’ll be back in production in Virginia in March, and from that point on we’ll be a year round supplier of organic tomatoes. When we finish this next crop in Virginia we’ll have organic tomatoes coming out of our Mexico facility.

Red Sun Farms has introduced its new top-sealed, fiber-base container.“The demand for local produce is also having a positive effect on demand in Virginia,” he continued. “Overall, we’re totally happy with the results there, and very excited about the success of both our conventional and organic programs.”

Phase II of the Virginia facility is scheduled to begin at the end of this summer, and DiMenna noted that the majority of that phase will be in organics.

Red Sun Farms is currently shipping greenhouse grown specialty tomatoes, Bell peppers and cucumbers from its Canada and Mexico facilities. Mexico’s program runs year round, and the U.S. and Canada facilities ship from March through November.

DiMenna also announced that the company is now using a top-sealed, fiber-base container for its organic grape tomatoes. The package is produced by CFK Inc., a Canadian-owned manufacturer that offers a wide range of molded pulp and foam products to meet the specific demands of retail consumers, foodservice operators and the packaging industry.

“The earth-cycle base is made from a blend of recycled and virgin North American wood fiber,” explained DiMenna. “It is certified recyclable, compostable and renewable, and it offers superior water hold-out and strength performance.”

Red Sun Farms is also enjoying success at its McAllen, TX, distribution center, which is now in full operation with Phase II. DiMenna said the company built its own warehouse there about three years ago, and within one year it realized it had already outgrown the space.

“We started Phase II right away,” he said. “This phase — which doubled the size of the facility — went into full operation last September. Everything we produce in Mexico crosses through McAllen to the facility. We then load for clients or transfer the product to where it’s needed at our other facilities in Michigan, Virginia or Canada.”

He added that the new space has enabled Red Sun Farms to increase its capacity. The addition also helped to enlarge the company’s value-added packing area.

“Some customers require specific packs, and we can accommodate them at the McAllen facility,” said DiMenna. “And we’re able to check for quality and condition to ensure that everything we ship meets our company specifications.”

He added that one can see the bridge that connects Mexico to the U.S. from the windows at its McAllen facility.

Red Sun Farms ships throughout North America. Its customers include retailers, wholesalers, distributors, foodservice operators and industrial users. The company is a leader in food-safety and traceability initiatives in all of its farms in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

DiMenna also pointed out that organically grown greenhouse tomatoes are high quality, have great color, appearance and are extremely flavorful. He feels these are key points that need to be stressed to consumers. “As an industry, we need to work toward educating consumers about both conventional hydroponically grown vegetables as well as organically grown greenhouse vegetables,” he said. “Organic greenhouse tomatoes are grown in sterilized soil that is certified organic. We’re very happy with, and proud of, the flavor profile of the products we’re producing with both categories. We’re extremely satisfied with our initial organic line of tomatoes, and we’re looking forward to a hugely successful future with organics.”