NatureFresh Farms, one of the largest independent greenhouse produce growers in Canada and one of the largest greenhouse pepper growers in North America, is staying ahead of the curve with new production, merchandising and educational programs.
The Leamington, ON-headquartered, greenhouse grower of peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes, harvested its first OhioRed TOVs in February from its new 15.3-acre facility in Delta, OH. The current acreage is the first of a three-phase, 45-acre, state-of-the-art greenhouse on target for completion this fall in Ohio that will allow the company to grow fresh tomatoes year-round for the Mid-West U.S. market.
“There is a huge allure of locally-grown product, and the fact that we can grow and ship tomatoes in the dead of winter is a huge bonus,” says Chris Veillon, director of marketing. “We dramatically reduced food miles versus what is hauled in from Mexico and points south. Growing in Ohio allows us to leave the product on the vine to maximize freshness and not pick at a weaker color stage.”
NatureFresh Farms will display its new OhioRed brand tomatoes at the Southeast Produce Council’s Southern Exposure Convention & Tradeshow in Hollywood, FL, March 3 to 5.
To equip retailers with the tools to sell more greenhouse-grown snacking tomatoes, the company created unique merchandising solutions in the form of the TomBox and TomBar. The TomBox, which is made of 100 percent recycled material, can hold up to 2-pounds of snacking tomatoes that customers select from the TomBar. The TomBar, akin to an Olive Bar, allows the customer to hand select the type, color, and size of specialty snacking tomato they want. The TomBar comes in a variety of sizes that can hold anywhere from four to 12 different types of grape, cherry, cocktail, mini plum, and other unique snacking tomatoes.
In late March, NatureFresh Farms will kick off its second annual #GreenInTheCity educational tour. The focal point of the tour is the company’s Greenhouse Education Center (GEC), a custom-built, 38-foot long mobile micro-greenhouse attraction the provides shoppers with an understanding of the growing process from the type of medium used to irrigation and nutrient feeding, heating, cooling, venting, energy screens and even a live bumble bee eco-system that shows how plants are pollinated. The tour first kicked off at a Loblaw Companies Ltd. Zehrs Markets’ location, in Cambridge, ON, last spring.
“When consumers walked into the store after visiting the GEC outside, they went directly to the fresh produce area and picked up NatureFresh products. How do we know they did that? Most times on their way out of the store, they would stop back at the GEC to show us their carts and to thank us for being so transparent in how we grow,” says Veillon.
“We also host product demos with the GEC where consumers can taste a variety of products in simple-to-make recipes and can walk away with recipe cards or be directed to the naturefresh.ca website for more recipe ideas,” says Veillon.
More than 80 stops, including retail locations, schools, summer camps, special events and city centers, are booked for this year between March and November. One of the largest will be at the Indianapolis Public Schools Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 25. More than 20,000 students will take part in a variety of activities. In collaboration with Lori Taylor (The Produce Mom), NatureFresh will be on site at the track to promote healthy eating with GEC. A complete calendar of event dates and locations NatureFresh Farm’s GEC will be available in late March to coincide with a new website launch.
For more information, visit www.naturefresh.ca
Source: PerishableNews.com