CORONA, CA - The celebration surrounding Cinco de Mayo is a festive combination of many of my favorite things—deliciously spicy salsa, fresh guacamole, Mexican red rice—the list goes on and on. Soon these tantalizing flavors will be calling out to all shoppers, and there is one thing that no Cinco de Mayo recipe is complete without. You guessed it: tomatoes. Veg-Fresh Farms’ tomato varieties are a perfect way to revitalize retail displays ahead of the upcoming holiday.
“There is one thing that comes to mind when you say tomatoes and Cinco de Mayo—fresh guacamole and salsa! It is great to promote for this holiday, as many consumers enjoy making fresh guacamole to enjoy with chips or on tacos,” said Daniela Toro-Martinez, Marketing and Communications. “Positioning the tomatoes next to avocados, jalapeños, and limes is a great way to promote them.”
Veg-Fresh Farms currently has conventional tomatoes coming in from Culiacán, Sinaloa, and Obregón, Sonora, Mexico. The supplies out of Culiacán continue to be strong leading up to the company’s transition to the Baja growing region in the beginning of June.
Much to any tomato lover’s delight, the grower has reported a good supply of fresh, springtime tomatoes, including its vine-ripe, snacking, Roma, Heirloom, and greenhouse and mature field tomatoes.
“We also offer a value pack of Redbites, our On Flavor™ brand of 24 oz grape tomatoes, and are introducing a new top-seal version, also available in 24 oz, which we have been transitioning some of our retail partners to since early March,” Daniela explained.
To make the most of fresh tomato sales leading up to Cinco de Mayo, retailers should plan in advance to ensure they align supplies, varieties, and promotions to increase demand across the category.
“We recommend cross-merchandising with other high-demand items—for example, packaged salads—as tomatoes are one of the most versatile commodities, used 71 percent of the time as an ingredient in a recipe and 69 percent in salads,” Daniela added.
To entice shoppers even further, Veg-Fresh Farms also has a great supply of its Organic Sweet King™ tomatoes, which are ideal for burgers during the summer grilling season. The proprietary, crimson vine-ripe tomato has a superior eating quality and can be used in salsas, salads, backyard barbecues, and more. Veg-Fresh Farms is working closely with its retailer partners to fill their Cinco De Mayo displays with these exciting varieties, as tomatoes will be on nearly every shopper’s list leading up to the holiday.
Keep an eye out for AndNowUKnow as we continue bringing you all the updates from within the fresh produce industry.
