New brand for Saskatchewan-grown tomatoes

Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food

The Saskatchewan Greenhouse Growers Association (SGGA) has created a new brand to give consumers a better chance to “buy local.”

The association is now rolling out that brand in the form of tomato boxes bearing a logo and the phrase “Saskatchewan’s Own Greenhouse Tomatoes” in bright green printing. The boxes will be sold to SGGA members and other growers, who will use them when marketing their greenhouse tomatoes.

SGGA President Rick Van Duyvendyk says the branded tomato boxes make it easier to identify product grown right here in the province.

“The brand, Saskatchewan’s Own Greenhouse Tomatoes, is something that will show the consumer that the product is grown right here in the province and that the growers are proud to be growing here,” said Van Duyvendyk. “It will give the consumer the option to choose to buy something grown in Saskatchewan.”

At this point, the size of the boxes is more suited for wholesale and retail display than individual purchase, but Van Duyvendyk says getting retailers to recognize the brand is a good start.

“It helps to grow the market. We grow a good product here, so when a produce manager or retailer sees it in a branded box, then they know to go after that product again because that’s what customers like. That’s what they have to keep putting back on the shelf,” he noted.

Van Duyvendyk says there is a further opportunity to expand the branded boxes to include other Saskatchewan greenhouse-grown products like cucumbers, peppers and lettuce, as well as to create smaller, consumer-sized boxes.

“Branding is huge, and it is the way you can make yourself stick out from the rest of the crowd,” explained Van Duyvendyk.

The cost of printing and the large size of the print run required have prevented growers from creating a branded box of their own in the past. However, Van Duyvendyk says that is one of the benefits of being a part of an association like the SGGA.

“When we come together, we can do things that we couldn’t do on our own because of the cost of the set up. Now you are making a large quantity, so you can afford to make a larger run because you can split the cost among a number of growers,” he said.

The greenhouse industry has no shortage of room for growth in Saskatchewan. Right now, less than one per cent of the tomatoes consumed in the province are grown here. Most are imported from Alberta, B.C. and Ontario.

Van Duyvendyk says greenhouses are an opportunity for producers to diversify into a high-value, low-acreage crop.

“For rural Saskatchewan, the bottom line is it’s a way to fuel the farm gate. A lot of these greenhouses are not in the city, they are out in the countryside. Wherever we can create more jobs and create more traffic at the farm gate, it’s a bonus for the province,” said Van Duyvendyk.

The tomato boxes, which hold 25 pounds of tomatoes, are 22 inches long by 18 inches wide and are available on a first-come, first-served basis to growers.

For more information, contact:

Rick Van Duyvendyk, President
Saskatchewan Greenhouse Growers Association
Phone: (306) 249-1222
E-mail: rick@dutchgrowers.ca