Pure Flavor receives taste award, introduces third greenhouse-grown melon

With an eye on the healthy snacking trend, greenhouse grower Pure Flavor has introduced two new products — Tiki Tomatoes, a vibrant, tropically sweet and juicy cherry tomato, and Oronai Sweet Charentais Melons, a personal-sized, French-inspired fruit and the third greenhouse-grown melon in Pure Flavor's program.

Both products will be unveiled at the International Fresh Produce Association's Global Produce & Floral Show in Anaheim, Calif., Oct. 19-21.

“Consumers want innovative products to wow them [with] size, color, consistency of availability and, most importantly, flavor — [which] are all core traits of a greenhouse-grown specialty snacking tomato, but with our new Tiki Tomatoes, we really have something special that is all of the above and more,” said Matt Mastronardi, Pure Flavor executive vice president. “We continue to strategically invest in R&D to bring items to market that create niche and incremental opportunities to help our retail and foodservice partners grow their business. The flavor profile of the Tiki Tomato checks all the boxes of what a snacking tomato is all about — sweet, bite-sized, versatile and full of flavor.”

Tropically sweet and juicy Tiki Tomatoes recently received the prestigious Superior Taste Award Certification from the International Taste Institute in Brussels, Belgium, according to a news release. The reviewing jury, consisting of more than 200 European chefs and sommeliers from over 20 countries, highlighted the following characteristics in its Superior Taste designation:

• A tasty tomato with a crisp, crunchy skin that contrasts well with its soft flesh.
• This tomato has an impressive visual appearance, with an original color that stands out from the crowd.
• The taste is sweet and fruity, with some acidity that helps to balance out the sugars; the taste persists for a long time on the palate.
• The Tiki Tomato has a rather mellow taste, which would marry well with a crisp white wine.
• The sweetness of the tomato would make a great partner for a variety of different cheeses.
• The versatile tomato would also pair well with fish or shellfish.
• As a simple snack, the Tiki Tomato is sweet, crunchy and juicy with the right amount of acidity.

“Creativity fuels innovation and when you are in a forward-thinking environment, the ‘what's next question' never gets old as our teams are always looking ahead [with] fresh ideas, new products, better products — it's what is helping us as we grow forward,” Mastronardi said.

Pure Flavor also continues to innovate in the greenhouse-grown melon category, the release said.

“When we launched our Solara Mini Galia and Alonna Canary Melons, the next melon in line was already in trial to ensure it could be grown at scale and in a controlled environment. This week, at the IFPA show in Anaheim, we are excited to launch our third greenhouse-grown melon — Oronai Sweet Charentais Melon — a small, fragrant, French-inspired delight renowned for its sweet, juicy, floral-infused flesh,” Mastronardi said.

Oronai Charentais melons, hailing from the Charente region of France, are an heirloom variety. Greenhouse-grown and weighing approximately 850-900 grams, Oronais are personal in size, round and feature a finely netted, fragrant skin. Inside, Oronai's vibrant orange, succulent flesh offers a combination of sweetness and floral notes, according to the release.

Pure Flavor has been on a growth path, not only with new products, but also with new farms and distribution centers. The acquisition of DeTemporada Farms, Cervini Farms C5, and most recently, MightyVine, have strategically added key acreage to the Pure Flavor family of growers, the release said. The Leamington, Ontario-based company says the opening of a second distribution center in McAllen, Texas, is helping further service both retail and foodservice customers throughout the Southwest and beyond.

“As a lifestyle-focused consumer brand, being in tune with consumer trends is key to our brand and product development,” Chris Veillon, chief marketing officer, said in the release. “Earlier this year, we surveyed thousands of consumers as part of our #LoveForFresh campaign with more than 90% of consumers noting that convenience is the most important factor when looking for a healthy snack option. Our new products are dialed right into that.

“Pure Flavor conducts annual omni-channel consumer research campaigns to support its content creation strategies and new product development initiatives,” Veillon continued. “Growing our snacking category options is at the forefront of our R&D strategy which this year has yielded award winning products like the Tiki Tomato and the Oronai Sweet Charentais Melons, with more still to come.”

Both the Tiki Tomato and the Oronai Sweet Charentais Melon will be on display at booth No. 1545 at the IFPA show.

Related coverage:

• Pure Flavor acquires MightyVine
• Pure Flavor acquires 25-acre greenhouse bell pepper farm
• Pure Flavor continues expansion, acquires Cervini Farms C5