Thomas Fresh said it is prepared to ship several stone fruit items under its brand. These recently debuted products include: cherries, peaches and nectarines locally grown in the Okanagan valley of British Columbia.
According to Thomas Fresh, it is no stranger to locally grown products, with most of its potatoes sourced from Canadian farmers throughout the year, many of which are available locally year-round.
The company said it saw an opportunity to supply additional local fruit options to the marketplace, and therefore expanded their product line to reflect what they see is a growing appetite for Canadian grown produce and support for local industries.
“We understand the growing need to provide locally sourced produce to Canadians in grocery stores” explains Roy Hinchey, CEO of Thomas Fresh. “This has created opportunities to work with more family grower operations within our country. When we began our relationship with our Okanagan partner, we knew their fruit quality was top-notch and we saw an opportunity to showcase their produce at major retail stores.”
“The Okanagan valley is a hotspot for local fruits and vegetables and having a Thomas Fresh facility located in British Columbia allows us to distribute produce from this region efficiently to grocery stores, ensuring that maximum freshness is maintained”, Hinchey continues.
According to Nielsen research, cherries showed the strongest potential for growth in the fruit category for produce last year, making them a progressive choice to carry in Canadian supermarkets. Thomas Fresh said it now offers 1 lb ‘Fresh Okanagan Cherries’ and 10 oz ‘Okanagan Jumbo Cherries’, available in recyclable clam shells.
Next up, Thomas Fresh is offering two new Okanagan grown, summer fruits in peaches and nectarines. Both are sold in 3 litre, recyclable clam shells.
For more information:
Andrea Dubak
Thomas Fresh
Tel: +1 (403) 236-8234