When Mastronardi Produce Ltd. developed its Sunset Kidz program, it was all too aware that one problem would have to be overcome for the line to be successful.

“One of the biggest challenges in getting kids to eat their fruits and veggies is the taste,” Chris Veillon, director of marketing, told The Produce News.

The company is located in Kingsville, ON, and moves top-quality, nutritious produce to all market sectors, including children. Mastronardi Produce built the first commercial greenhouse in North America in the 1940s and has been family owned for four generations. Mastronardi Produce/Sunset is a year-round grower of gourmet tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, and a seasonal producer of eggplant, lettuce and berries.

“We are ahead of the curve in every aspect of our business,” he added. “Our new product development is industry leading. Our national and international awards speak to the value and quality of our category leading products.”

Under its trademarked “Sunset brand,” offerings for children include MiMi Candy Cukes, MiMi Candy Peppers and MiMi Candy Tomatoes.

“Our bite-size varieties are also a huge benefit in getting kids to enjoy greenhouse tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers,” Mr. Veillon said. “We have added our Zima to our ‘Sunset’ lineup. [They are] a super sweet orange tomato in a neat shaker style clamshell. If you closed your eyes and popped one in to your mouth, you would swear it was a red tomato. But, in fact, it is orange.”

The company’s production specifically geared toward children is its fastest-growing business segment. “Our Sunset Kidz line continues to grow year after year,” Mr. Veillon said. “What has grown in general is healthy eating among kids. We have seen society take a step back and look at how kids are growing up and are adapting their food intake.”

Mr. Veillon said that an article by Jan Hoffman in The New York Times provided some interesting insights about changing food trends for children. “[The July 10 article said] that summer camps are updating their menus to move from grub to cuisine, and that kids now have healthy choices with fresh produce like tomatoes and cucumbers at the salad bar,” he related. “This speaks volumes to how we are evolving as a society toward healthy eating, and that it all starts with kids. How this would trickle down to us is better consumption at the retail level as well as increased lift potentially at the foodservice level where businesses are purchasing fresh produce for camps.”

Asked how the company has overcome taste challenges with its Sunset line, Mr. Veillon replied, “Our business was built on flavor and quality. Bite in to a MiMi Candy Tomato and you are hooked, guaranteed. The sweetness of the tomato is exceptional with a very high Brix. Kids love them. A big challenge is getting kids to choose the healthier of the snacks, a chocolate bar versus a handful of MiMi tomatoes. We believe our extra sweet tomatoes will win, day in and day out.”

Mastronardi Produce offers produce in engaging, child-friendly containers. Children easily recognize Alex, Milla, Anni, Nikko and Sammy, the characters who are the “face” of the program. “They are fun, youthful and really unique to Sunset as they are actual kids from the Sunset family,” Mr. Veillon stated, adding that Milla and Anni are the daughters of Paul Mastronardi, president of the company.

In addition to retail, Mastronardi Produce works with foodservice personnel to promote healthful options in vending machines.

“Our foodservice team at Mastronardi Fresh is working with a number of key foodservice providers who supply schools to provide healthy options,” Mr. Veillon said. “Our vending machine concept that we unveiled a few years ago at United Fresh was certainly a hit, and we are still working on trying to implement programs like this across the nation.”

According to Mr. Veillon, the company is also working with top foodservice purveyors in North America to make gourmet greenhouse produce available to everyone.

“The next time you grab a salad on the go from your favorite fast food restaurant, coffee shop or deli bar, it is quite likely a ‘Sunset’ tomato, pepper or cucumber,” he said.