Demand for NatureSweet tomatoes has remained strong this year, with both buyer counts and dollar sales up for the company, said Daniel Blumb, senior category growth manager, sales.
Surging consumer demand for snacking tomatoes like those NatureSweet produces should keep those numbers strong going forward, he added.
This fall, more stores will carry NatureSweet’s 10-ounce Dia De Muertos season medley, said Jenny Halpin, the company’s senior corporate external communications manager.
“It’s a bright and beautiful medley of sweet cherry tomatoes, packaged in a creative and festive way,” Halpin said. “We’re proud to honor a culture and give consumers something to celebrate — especially one that brings back fond memories and is special to so many.”
Also this fall, NatureSweet debuted new packaging for its 9-ounce D’Vines — red cherry-on-the-vine tomatoes — and its 12-ounce D’Vines medley, which are both grown here in the US.
The D’Vines medley is a colorful assortment of small red, yellow and orange tomatoes on-the-vine grown in high-tech greenhouses at NatureSweet’s Bonita Plant in Arizona.
“Small tomatoes on-the-vine is one of the fastest growing segments and has seen significant growth this year,” Halpin said. “Our superior taste will deliver the ‘closest to homegrown’ premium experience that consumers are craving.”
NatureSweet also expects continued strong growth in its Adora heirloom tomato program.
“Consumers are also craving that unique, homegrown taste in larger tomatoes and they’re blown away by Adora,” Halpin said. “It has an incredible flavor profile which is not common in a larger slicing tomato.”
Adora, which has won the Superior Taste Award from the International Taste Institute in Europe three years in a row, transitions from green to brown between its grooves, which indicate ripeness and give it an exquisite look, pleasing both the eyes and palate, she added.
Cross-marketing with other top brands inside and beyond the grocery produce department has become a key strategy for NatureSweet, Blumb said.
In 2024 alone, the company has inked deals with Barilla, Fresh Express, Litehouse Dressing and Fresh Gourmet.
“The promotions provided extreme value during a time when the economy is challenging the average consumer,” Blumb said.
During a recent national salad promotion with a large national retailer, for instance, NatureSweet realized a 23% unit lift and a 11% dollar lift, he added.
The past year saw Del Fresco Pure’s release of its Original Cherry Tomatoes on the Vine product, and interest since has been strong, said Sonia Klinger, marketing manager.
“They’re not only beautiful. They’re very versatile and have a sweeter and more intense flavor, which is enhanced due to the fact that the tomatoes continue to ripen and develop their sugars and acids while still attached to the plant.”
Del Fresco Pure is also expanding its organic Tomato On the Vine program, which the company will be spotlighting at the annual Global Produce and Floral Show later this month.