“All our grape tomatoes are grown in Baja California in Mexico,” says Felipe Garcia with Master’s Touch. “We just started production in Vizcaino.” The weather has been very cooperative this season, resulting in excellent quality and flavor. The company grows grape tomatoes year-round from two different regions out of Baja: Vizcaino and La Paz. “That enables us to offer new crop throughout the year,” added Garcia.
Improved shelf-life
Master’s Touch has launched new packaging for its grape tomatoes that extends shelf-life by 4-6 days. It is a pouch bag that stands up. The bag is shaped as a bottle, which supports ventilation. “The ventilation holes in the bag improve shelf-life. It is a very practical bag, you can even hang it up,” added Garcia. Another benefit is that the bag saves on freight costs. Instead of 1,560 clamshells, a pallet now holds 1,800 bags. The bag was first launched at the PMA show in October 2015 and is in full production right now. This week, new packaging was launched for Master’s Touch organic grape tomatoes. The new bag is still patent pending, but a preview can be seen in the photo below.
Prices need to improve
Currently, grape tomato prices are fair, but Garcia is hopeful they will increase within the next few weeks. Usually, Mexico’s mainland production is done by this time of the year. Since temperatures haven’t been as high as normal, mainland production is still strong, resulting in higher supplies on the market. “Our production costs are higher because of lack of water and the fact that supplies need to be brought in by boat. We are isolated from the mainland,” mentioned Garcia.
For more information:
Felipe Garcia
Master’s Touch
Tel: (+1) 619-600-4354