Courtesy Handy Candy LLC Shipments of organic Handy Candy grape tomatoes to Whole Foods and other retailers in California and the Southwest have started.
Handy Candy LLC —formed in 2011 by employees of Birmingham, Ala.-based Flavor-Pic Tomato Co. Inc. — began marketing conventionally grown grape tomatoes under the label last spring.
That product sells nationally in the U.S. and Canada at various retailers, including some Wal-Marts. “Since the initial launch, volume has increased over 150%,” said Rick Murrah, vice president of sales at Flavor-Pic.
The organic offering comes in 4-ounce re-sealable and biodegradable cups with retail pricing from $0.99 to $1.29. The conventionally grown comes in the same type of packaging.
“There is a value that our customers will experience…in comparison to other products on the market that are available at a retail price of $4.99 for a 10-ounce organic grape,” Randy Cancellieri, partner in Anaheim-based Veg-Fresh Farms LLC, said in a news release. Veg-Fresh is a distributor.
Flavor-Pic targets brix levels of 7.5 or higher in Handy Candy tomatoes to appeal to the snack market, including children.
The product comes in a stackable, display-ready box with information in English and French.
Handy Candy was among the winners of the Produce Marketing Association’s Fresh Summit Impact awards in 2012.
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