Dutch wholesaler De Groot Fruit & Vegetables will begin selling Cuisinesse TOVs today. Tomeco grows these flavor tomatoes in Belgium for Coöperatie Hoogstraten. De Groot and Coöperatie Hoogstraten have developed new, co-branded packaging. That's to market these vine tomatoes. De Groot will sell these Cuisinesse truss tomatoes under its Don Mario Eat Now brand.
Mitch Vermeiren, Jeroen Schenkels, John van der Zouwen and Natalie Snijers
De Groot Fruit & Vegetables and Coöperatie Hoogstraten have been working together since last year. "I noticed that people are interested in Belgian, as well as Dutch, products," says De Groot Fruit & Vegetables' Jeroen Schenkels. "Belgian goods are associated with quality. They fit in very well with all our other quality products. We source those from all over the world. Last year was a success with good fruit-vegetables sales. Now, we can take the next step in our cooperation. That's with the Cuisinesse vine tomatoes. From now on, we'll consistently choose this tasty tomato."
Don Mario Eat Now
“We've been searching for nice, tasty products for a while now. That's for our Don Mario Eat Now brand," says John van der Zouwen, also from De Groot Fruit & Vegetables. "We want accessible, good-quality products that we can sell at market prices. We already market bananas, citrus, avocados, and grapes under this brand. But we want to expand the range. By selling Cuisinesse truss tomatoes, we're adding a very nice all-round tomato to the brand. All our national and international customers can use these tomatoes. And we can sell them in both the food retail and foodservice channel."
Short chains
“Cuisinesse TOVs are noticeably rustically shaped. They have uniform bunches and an intense red color. It's a medium-sized vine tomato that should be included in every kitchen," adds Natalie Snijers of Coöperatie Hoogstraten. "We don't auction the Cuisinesse, which makes it ideal for co-branding. Tomeco, our producer, is close to the Dutch border. They cultivate these tomatoes. That's why this tomato fits perfectly into the short-chain. The Cuisinesse is available year-round. It has the same quality in both summer and winter."
Flavor-production ratio
According to Tomeco's Mitch Vermeiren, Cuisinesse truss tomatoes have a good mix of production and flavor. "Tomatoes with good production often aren't quite as tasty as those with moderate production. Not so with this variety. The Cuisinesse has a nice balance between flavor and production. That's quite unusual. That's why it's such a strong tomato."
"Also, this variety has a flat vine, which presents nicely in the box. And its stem remains fresh and green even after picking. We'll continue to grow these tomatoes in the winter period too. But then under LED lighting." To always produce the best tomatoes, Tomeco continuously does tests. They want to develop the best varieties and cultivation methods.
Cuisinesse TOVs are the first product in De Groot and Coöperatie Hoogstraten's collaboration. But probably not the last. "We can't say too much right now. However, we can say this. We'll be adding another Coöperatie Hoogstraten product to our Don Mario range. That's besides these tomatoes. Fruit and vegetable brands are becoming increasingly popular. By expanding our brand, we can meet that demand," conclude Jeroen and John.
For more information:
Jeroen Schenkels
John van der Zouwen
De Groot Fruit & Vegetables
Tel: +31 (0) 765 307 000
Email: jeroenschenkels@degrootfreshgroup.com
Email: johnvanderzouwen@degrootfreshgroup.com
Website: www.degrootfreshgroup.com
Natalie Snijers
Coöperatie Hoogstraten
Tel: +32 (0) 334 00 211
Email: sales@hoogstraten.eu
Website: www.hoogstraten.eu
Mitch Vermeiren
Tomeco
Email: mitch@meerfresh.be
Website: www.feelgoodtomatoes.com