The tomato forges unexpected friendships

We think of vegetables as the basis for a healthy and easy-to-prepare meal. But how often do we combine fruit and vegetables in a single dish? The result can be a real explosion of flavours with the tomato tying everything together. After all, a tomato is both fruity and savoury at the same time and just as juicy as a melon. Typical of the tomato is its refreshing sweetness and juiciness – giving it a fruity character. So what is the tomato doing in the vegetable section?

Most people already have a recipe or meal in mind when they walk into a supermarket. They buy vine tomatoes, for instance, to prepare a delicious salad or pasta dish. A single recipe will contain ingredients from various categories: ingredients that have forged ‘friendships’ resulting both from tradition and through being tried and tested with other ingredients. Take the tomato and its best friends mozzarella, basil and olive oil. But there are also many other ingredients which are less familiar companions for our tomatoes but which would work great together - like fruit.

Encouraging sales

Separating fruit and vegetables into two categories when creating a dish is actually superfluous since combining them is exactly what provides such culinary inspiration. What about a salad containing tomatoes, strawberries and avocado? Or appetizers made from tomatoes, feta cheese and watermelon? Or why not bake a lovely pie using red and yellow cherry tomatoes? Combining the flavours of fruit and vegetables offers retailers an opportunity to tempt consumers into creating new and inspiring dishes - and also to boost sales.

Partnership on a plate
Fortunately, the tomato has already captured the position of being the basic ingredient for many a dish. But what about fruit and vegetables in general? Do consumers already see the vegetable section as the place to start when planning each and every meal? By providing the right information and employing the right approach, we could have much more of an impact on consumer decisions. Retailers, for example, often need more product information, inspiration and knowledge about the purchasing process. So why not use each other’s expertise and get to know the shopper better? We call this ‘Partnership on a plate’ because two heads are better than one. For more information, please contact Wim van den Berg from DOOR Partners/Prominent at w.vandenberg@doorpartners.nl.

Source: www.smaakvrienden.nl of Mastercook Angélique Schmeinck

The sales, marketing and quality control of Prominent tomatoes are handled by Door Partners B.V. This sales subsidiary forms part of the Grower Cooperative DOOR U.A.