Cloud 9 tomato makes debut with Superior Taste Award

The newest tomato from the Pure Flavor brand comes to market with a Superior Taste Award from the International Taste Institute.

The Cloud 9 is available to begin shipping now, and it is grown in greenhouses in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, so it is available year-round, according to a news release.

In the evaluation that resulted in the Cloud 9 receiving the award, the new tomato was reviewed by more than 200 European chefs and sommeliers from more than 20 countries.

“It’s a strict process where all products are blind tasted,” Stijn Roelandt, sous chef at Hof van Cleve, which has three Michelin stars, and member of the tasting panel, said in the release. “This means that the samples are anonymized; we do not see the packaging and do not know the brand name nor the producers’ name. We don’t even know from which country the product comes from. This forces us to be completely objective as we do the sensory analysis. Only truly good products are certified.”

According to the release, the judges praised the Cloud 9 for its clear, ripe tomato flavor with notable sweetness and a taste that lingers on the palate; for its “original shape” and size ideal for snacking or for use in recipes; and for its color, soft texture and balance between sweetness and acidity.

“We taste hundreds of tomatoes every year searching for something special — unique colors, shapes, sizes, but most importantly flavor,” Jamie Moracci, president of Leamington, Ontario-based Pure Hothouse Foods, which markets the Pure Flavor brand, said in the release. “From the first taste of the Cloud 9 variety, we knew we had found it. With fruit-like flavor, the new Cloud 9 tomatoes are going to redefine what snacking tomatoes should taste like as an everyday item, not just as color in a salad.”

The company has been working over the last 16 months to create the Cloud 9 brand and associated content to engage consumers.

“Our team has developed dozens of recipes, conducted in-person tasting surveys before the pandemic and hundreds of digital preference surveys during the Love For Fresh campaign late last fall, to creating engaging web and social content in lifestyle situations,” Chris Veillon, chief marketing officer, said in the release. “We needed to effectively communicate that Cloud 9 is not just another salad topper; it’s the sweetness you crave with the quality you deserve. We think it’s a tiny taste of heaven.”

The Packer's copy editor and designer Amelia Freidline and retail editor Ashley Nickle got to try a sample of the new product leading up to the launch; below is their video review of the Cloud 9.