TomBox™ brings a la carte shopping to greenhouse tomatoes

NatureFresh™ Farms will be rolling out their TomBox™ this year, which gives consumers a greater choice as to how they buy and consume greenhouse tomatoes. While high-end greenhouse tomatoes have previously only been marketed in pre-packed formats, NatureFresh's TomBox™ allows consumers to choose which tomatoes and what quantities they want to purchase.

“If people want to eat brighter, we have to provide better food in formats that are best for them,” said Chris Veillon of NatureFresh™ Farms. “If someone buys a pack of specialty tomatoes and has a bad experience, they lose anywhere from five to eight dollars depending on the size & format of package they have purchased.” But with the TomBox™, consumers can fill a container with what they want from an assortment of tomatoes that are displayed in NatureFresh TomBars. The concept gives consumers a chance to try new varieties without too much of a monetary commitment, and the idea is that they will find the varieties they like and buy more of them, thus increasing overall sales.

“We, as greenhouse growers, pick the best,” said Veillon, “then you, as a consumer, pick the quantities that are best for you.” There's also an environmentally-conscious component to the idea, as the TomBox™ ‘s are made from 100 percent recycled material, branded with vegetable based inks, and are 100 percent recyclable.

“There's a sea of plastic right now in retail,” said Veillon. “Having the TomBox™ removes that sea of plastic. We ship to retailers in bulk and they re-stock the TomBar™ as need be, and the customer takes only what he or she needs.”