Come 2017, T&G Global will celebrate its 120th anniversary, securing its position as New Zealand's largest grower, marketer and exporter of quality fruit and vegetables.
With tomatoes in the top three produce lines sold in the country each day, it's no mean feat for T&G to call itself the countryís largest tomato grower by volume, producing and supplying more than 40 per cent of the countryís tomatoes at its five production sites in New Zealand.
Anthony Stone, T&G general manager for covered crops, says the company's focus remains on taste and innovation when it comes to tomatoes, not just producing high-yielding varieties.
Has T&G invested in any new packaging, or launched any new varieties of tomatoes in the past 12 months? If so, what were the driving factors behind these launches?
Anthony Stone: We’ve introduced a new branded variety, ‘Y.E.L.O’, which is a medium-sized yellow truss tomato with great taste characteristics. T&G has the rights to grow, market and sell Yelo in New Zealand under license from Mastronardi Produce, which owns the trademark for the brand. We are pleased with the early sales and feedback of Yelo and look forward to continuing our focus on this variety as we look to expand our growing footprint. Consumers are telling us they want better tasting tomatoes, so we are focused on growing and selling varieties, which deliver on this consumer demand.
We have also re-launched our Beekist brand with an improved look that we believe better appeals to consumers, who overwhelmingly tell us they want taste, colour and a fresh natural product they can trust.
Our sweet plum-shaped varieties are also selling well, including a recent alternative product packaged for Halloween called ‘Sweet Treats’, for both children and adults. Angel, Tasty Mix, Jellybean, Melody, Yelo and Red Delight are top-selling products across supermarkets, with Beekist Angel the number one selling pre-packed product, of all produce sold in New Zealand.
What kind of promotional activities have you run in New Zealand for your brands of tomatoes?
AS: In New Zealand we work closely with the major supermarket retailers to ensure we can achieve strong availability of our key tasting products, sold at the right retail price given market dynamics and when consumers want them, which is year-round. We also invest a significant amount of time, effort and money sampling our products so consumers can experience themselves our brand’s superior taste. Beekist is also a partner to the Taste of Auckland and the annual Food Show, which have worked really well in terms of sampling and brand promotion. We were also delighted to be a finalist in the 2016 NZ Food Awards, which represent the best food and beverage products the country has to offer.
The full interview withT&G general manager covered crops Anthony Stoneappears in the summer edition of Produce Plus
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