West Coast Tomato Growers is ramping up volumes of its “Oceanside Pole” brand tomatoes. Looking ahead to its second season marketing them, the Oppenheimer Group estimated that volume could jump to roughly 4.5 million cases between July and November.

"The added acreage is well-timed strategically," Aaron Quon, director of Oppy's greenhouse and vegetable categories, said in a press release, pointing to the potential strength of a domestic program that is competitively priced alongside Mexican tomatoes due to changes in the tomato suspension agreement. "It also represents a terrific opportunity for more retailers to list the high-quality tomatoes Oceanside is known for."

The added volume will be driven not only by dedicated acreage, but also by greater yield made possible by a return to the original Oceanside Pole seed variety.

"Grower Harry Singh Jr. will once again plant the old signature seed varieties that make ‘Oceanside Pole’ vine-ripe tomatoes one of the best labels in the industry," Mr. Quon said in the release. "The original seed will enhance overall yield, quality and flavor, and importantly shelf life, which will be second to none. Retailers located across the country can choose Oceanside with confidence."

In addition to Mr. Singh's vine-ripened tomatoes, Oceanside Pole fans can look forward to Roma tomatoes grown in the same coastal environment.

"Customers will be able to load rounds and Romas on the same truck, improving shipping efficiency," Mr. Quon said.

"We will have a forced-air pre-cooling system in place in Oceanside this season," he said. "By bringing just-harvested tomatoes into this chamber and reducing their temperature gradually, we can enhance quality and lengthen shelf life."

A new general manager, Victor Lopez, has been hired to provide additional oversight to the packing and shipping process. Mr. Lopez comes to Oceanside with 12 years of related experience as well as a bachelor's degree in agriBusiness from Cal Poly and a master's degree in international business from San Diego University.

Tomatoes grown in Oceanside enjoy the benefits of the warm coastal mountainous microclimate, along with the pole technology used to produce them, which keeps the tomatoes off the ground and in pristine condition, lending to greater flavor and shelf life. Beneath the poles, mulch conserves moisture and prevents weeds, and drip irrigation is used to optimize moisture control. Enhanced air circulation enables the tomatoes to mature evenly.

After harvest, the tomatoes are sorted by color and place-packed by hand on the same day. The season extends from late July through November.

Oppy also markets conventional greenhouse tomatoes from the United States, Canada and Mexico and organic greenhouse tomatoes grown in Canada and Mexico.