Perfection Fresh Australia are marketing a new variety of cherry tomato to growers in northern Victoria after tests proved that the fruit could be successfully grown in Australia.
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Martin Gooch, senior business development manager at the company holding exclusive rights to the US-bred violin variety of the Grape Tomato, revealed that in the US experience the fruit carved out a premium niche worth 65% of the cherry tomato market. This has bred high hopes that this will be the same in Australia when they becomes available in small quantities in Woolworths, Coles and a few independent outlets.
“We are looking to differentiate the crop from the cherry tomato market, which has become something of a commodity these days,” explained Gooch. “Some cherry tomatoes have a strong and stern skin. The beauty of the new variety is that it can be easily bitten into, but will keep its shape and attributes for a long time. It’s [also] a lot sweeter than the standard cherry tomato.”
A major advantage for growers in the violin variety is that it has a high level of pest and disease resistance, being the only grape tomato resistant to the soil-based fungus fusarium wilt.
Production for the commercial market began in Queensland last week.
Perfection Fresh can be contacted on (02) 9763 1877.
