After a successful first season last year, small organic pick and mix tomatoes from Holland are back on Swedish shelves. Offered under the name 'Taste Wonders', the Dutch tomatoes are available earlier than the domestic supply and according to Anita Jansson, from Hebe fruit, there has been a big push for organic specialty and heirloom varieties in the Swedish market.
"While available in the regular supply, Swedish organic growers have yet to start growing these heirloom and other specialty varieties. 'Taste Wonders', primarily supplied by Dutch grower Frank de Koning, are all organic, sold loose and come in various sizes and colours ranging from yellow to purple." said Anita.
All of the tomatoes sold in the display are clearly marked as organic and are all sold for the same price, which means that the customer can buy any combination they like. The display is also created as a way to inform consumers about the product and where it comes from. There is a description of each tomato variety, along with recipes, to encourage buyers to try out the new varieties
"This concept is different because most organic produce is packaged to differentiate it from the regular produce. This display provides a solution for that and many organic customers are happy to have an option which cuts down on packaging."
As of this year, Hebe also designed a new box for online shoppers made with fibres left over from sugar cane production. The company is trialling the boxes with online retailers this year and said that, if it proves successful, they would also like to take the boxes next year into the physical stores as well.
The tomatoes will be available throughout the summer and the campaign is expected to end around October/November.
"We would like to continue in this direction of selling other organic produce loose in the supermarkets as well, but it will take a bit of time before that happens because it can be difficult with pricing and supermarkets can be slow to change. Tomatoes were a perfect fit for this concept because we are able to offer the tomatoes at the same price as Swedish tomatoes and since the loose tomatoes are all offered for the same price, it is easy for cashiers at the supermarket."
