Tomatoes: A Guide to Better Quality & Greater Profits Veg-Fresh Farms A guide to the best storage, handling, and merchandising for tomatoes in retail produce departments.
Letter from Veg-Fresh Farms Dear Produce Retailer, The tomato quality in your department can be the key to increased sales and perception of the rest of the fruit and vegetables in your department. With our knowledge and expertise we want to work with you on understanding and implementing the correct storage and handling techniques. In this ebook you will discover the basics to tomato storage, handling, and merchandising for tomatoes. You will be ready to train your team and watch those sales increase! Respectively, Veg-Fresh Farms Tomato Experts 1 Tomato Storage & Handling Guide
Tomatoes : Storage, Handling, & Merchandising Basic Tomato Handling Practices The Importance of Storage Temperatures Best Ways to Display Tomatoes Merchandising Basics Cross-merchandising Opportunities 2 Tomato Storage & Handling Guide
Basic Tomato Handling Practices The first key to having the best quality of tomatoes for your customers is to handle them correctly. If not handled properly, tomatoes can damage pretty easy. Tomato damage usually doesn t show up right away, so you may not notice it right away, you can bet when your customer takes it home to cook they will discover the damage. Dumping from one container or retail bin to another can cause bruising. It is important that your team does not dump, throw, or bounce tomatoes when they are handling product at store level. Even firm green tomatoes are delicate; the damage may not show up until they ripen. Tomato Segments Defined by Usage 1.! Snacking tomatoes a.! Ready To Eat and used for snacks and lunches b.! An ingredient in veggie platters c.! Perfect for salads, no cutting = no fuss 2.! Slicing tomatoes a.! Beef steak, vine ripes, heirlooms and TOVs b.! Used in hamburgers and sandwiches 3.! Cooking tomatoes a.! Mainly Roma tomatoes b.! Used fresh for salsas, and salads c.! Cooked for sauces, stews, soups, and casseroles 3 Tomato Storage & Handling Guide
The Importance of Proper Storage Temperatures Tomato temperature management is the most important factor to ensure great taste and texture. It begins at harvest and continues through consumer handling at home. Refer to the effects of temperature on tomatoes in the chart below. Most importantly, always remember to never store your tomatoes below 55 F. That includes in your department and back room areas that are exposed to chilling or freezing temperatures. *Chart from UC Riverside Handling Tomatoes at Wholesale and Retail 4 Tomato Storage & Handling Guide
Best Ways to Display Tomatoes Your tomato display should include: Romas Tomatoes on the Vine Snacking Tomatoes (Grape, Cherry, Baby Heirloom, and Gold Grape) Vine Ripe/Hot House (depending on the season) Heirloom tomatoes Stack ripe tomatoes no more than 2-4 layers high in bulk displays, depending on variety and department volume. When you pile the tomatoes higher/deeper you will start to see noticeable compression bruising on the lower layers, therefore showing loss of product. It is a good idea to place tomatoes on cushioning material to minimize physical damage when stacking. It is important to remind your customers that: Excessive handling of tomatoes damages them. Please do not squeeze tomatoes, they are delicate. Partially ripe tomatoes will continue to ripen at home (just like bananas) if held at room temperature in the kitchen or pantry Consider supplying a Consumer Handling Tear Off Sheet or simply educate your team on proper handling practices for consumers it is your responsibility to educate your customers correctly Tomato Handling for Consumers Handle tomatoes very carefully Store and ripen at room temperatures never in the refrigerator at home Faster ripening results in better tasting tomatoes To ripen them faster, put a few apples in with the tomatoes in a closed paper bag, and let sit for a couple hours 5 Tomato Storage & Handling Guide
Merchandising Basics Tomatoes are absolutely beautiful and should be displayed that way in your department. It is said that consumers look at the quality of tomatoes in the produce department they are shopping in to gage the quality of the other product displayed. Therefore, you need to make sure that you are merchandising your tomatoes correctly and in the right location in your department. Also, it is good practice to break up the reds with colored tomatoes, like heirlooms, or other related items like basil, garlic, or avocados. Give your customers a little inspiration with different products to inspire them. Heirloom tomatoes provide great colors and shapes that catches the consumer s eye. 6 Tomato Storage & Handling Guide
Cross-Merchandising and Secondary Opportunities Mobility adds Flexibility Snacking Tomatoes are perfect to add color, taste and nutrition to any fresh salad. Merchandise on one side of an orchard bin, and use the other side for displaying TOVS. Cross Merchandising Tomato displays should inspire shoppers to try new recipes, and make their life easier with minimal prep time. Creative eye-catching inspiring displays by cross merchandising with pasta, onion, garlic, peppers and fresh basil living plants for an Italian themed dinner. Everyone loves fresh salsas and guacamole! Delight your customers with a chile pepper, lemon, lime, garlic, and avocado display. Garnish with tortilla chips! Ole! Roll an orchard bin with snacking tomatoes in front of the salad case, to suggestive sell for salad fixings. Tomato displays must ALWAYS have Tomatoes On The Vine. It is the vine that gives off the classic tomato aroma that customers equate with freshness and flavor. 7 Tomato Storage & Handling Guide