4 ms·

I wonder if they can charge more for the non-cold-chain tomatoes due to better flavor: >Cold storage is widely used to extend shelf-life of agriculture product

I wonder if they can charge more for the non-cold-chain tomatoes due to better flavor: >Cold storage is widely used to extend shelf-life of agriculture products. For tomato, this handling results in reduced flavor quality. Our work provides major insights into the effects of chilling on consumer liking, the flavor metabolome and transcriptome, as well as DNA methylation status. from: https://www.pnas.org/content/113/44/12580 https://www.pnas.org/content/113/44/12580

ModernMech 5y ago
Yeah, I grew some tomatoes on my balcony this summer, and the way they taste compared to what I would buy at the store you would think they are completely different fruits. I would pay maybe 30% more for a sandwich with fresh tomatoes as opposed to the.... red slime that usually come on them.
- JacobDotVI 5y ago
  I keep hoping that one of these shipping container farms will support tomatoes due to this issue. Unfortunately, I have yet to find any (although some claim version N will be tomatoes). My hunch is that they can't grow tomatoes dense enough to make the economics work.
- martythemaniak 5y ago
  I've considered a "startup" in this space before. Take all the equipment, knowhow and enthusiasm of the cannabis industry and apply it to tomatoes. Grow them next to customers, under lights with highly controlled conditions and an obsessive focus on flavour. Guarantee less than 24hrs picked-to-delivered. My research (napkin math) suggested that it would be doable at $8-10/lb, which is certainly high, but probably low enough to attract connoisseurs, high-end restaurants, and regular folks who like to treat themselves. It would be especially valuable during the winter, when you just can't get a proper tomato.
  - ginko 5y ago
    I think this would work well in places like Norway where electricity and water is cheap and people are used to food being expensive already.
    - davidhunter 5y ago
      Yep: https://www.hortidaily.com/article/9309162/norway-s-nursery-grows-more-tomatoes-and-peppers-year-round-by-using-led-lighting/ https://www.hortidaily.com/article/9309162/norway-s-nursery-...
  - davidhunter 5y ago
    Exactly what we're doing (optimal.ag). Interestingly, the cannabis industry has taken all the equipment, knowhow and enthusiasm of the (Dutch) tomato industry and applied it to cannabis - not the other way around.
    - martythemaniak 5y ago
      First time I flew into Amsterdam it was dusk and I was mesmerized by the seemingly endless fields of greenhouses growing weed. Only years later (after telling everyone about it) did I learn they were actually growing produce :D Dutch tomatoes have a reputation for being bland ("water bombs"), is making more flavourfull ones just product focus? Like picking the right varietal, picking them at the right time, delivering quickly, etc?
      - davidhunter 5y ago
        >First time I flew into Amsterdam it was dusk and I was mesmerized by the seemingly endless fields of greenhouses growing weed. Only years later (after telling everyone about it) did I learn they were actually growing produce :D Lol - yeah the production of cannabis is not yet legalised in The Netherlands. This is a great article on the Dutch greenhouse industry (unfortunately behind paywall): https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/holland-agriculture-sustainable-farming https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/holland-... >Dutch tomatoes have a reputation for being bland ("water bombs"), is making more flavourfull ones just product focus? Like picking the right varietal, picking them at the right time, delivering quickly, etc? I've heard this before too. Maybe this was a thing at one point in history but it's not true any more. If you go into a supermarket today in Europe then all the tomatoes on offer will have been grown in greenhouses. The low-end stuff will have been grown in Spanish/Moroccan low-tech greenhouses (plastic tunnels). The higher-end stuff will have been grown in Dutch glasshouses.
- webnrrd2k 5y ago
  Brown tomatoes are showing up in more grocery stores now, and have a much better tomato flavor than beefsteak tomatoes. They are often sold in a sleeve of six or so, or labeled as "kumatos". Really, give them a try - they are much better than regular store tomatoes.
  - Wistar 5y ago
    I have seen brown ones packaged as you described but labeled as Capri. Maybe they aren't the same but they are a lot better than the average commercial tomato.
nhoughto 5y ago
and for something slightly more accessible and with photos =) on the same topic: https://www.seriouseats.com/why-you-should-refrigerate-tomatoes https://www.seriouseats.com/why-you-should-refrigerate-tomat...

ModernMech 5y ago

Yeah, I grew some tomatoes on my balcony this summer, and the way they taste compared to what I would buy at the store you would think they are completely different fruits. I would pay maybe 30% more for a sandwich with fresh tomatoes as opposed to the.... red slime that usually come on them.

JacobDotVI 5y ago
I keep hoping that one of these shipping container farms will support tomatoes due to this issue. Unfortunately, I have yet to find any (although some claim version N will be tomatoes). My hunch is that they can't grow tomatoes dense enough to make the economics work.
martythemaniak 5y ago
I've considered a "startup" in this space before. Take all the equipment, knowhow and enthusiasm of the cannabis industry and apply it to tomatoes. Grow them next to customers, under lights with highly controlled conditions and an obsessive focus on flavour. Guarantee less than 24hrs picked-to-delivered. My research (napkin math) suggested that it would be doable at $8-10/lb, which is certainly high, but probably low enough to attract connoisseurs, high-end restaurants, and regular folks who like to treat themselves. It would be especially valuable during the winter, when you just can't get a proper tomato.
- ginko 5y ago
  I think this would work well in places like Norway where electricity and water is cheap and people are used to food being expensive already.
  - davidhunter 5y ago
    Yep: https://www.hortidaily.com/article/9309162/norway-s-nursery-grows-more-tomatoes-and-peppers-year-round-by-using-led-lighting/ https://www.hortidaily.com/article/9309162/norway-s-nursery-...
- davidhunter 5y ago
  Exactly what we're doing (optimal.ag). Interestingly, the cannabis industry has taken all the equipment, knowhow and enthusiasm of the (Dutch) tomato industry and applied it to cannabis - not the other way around.
  - martythemaniak 5y ago
    First time I flew into Amsterdam it was dusk and I was mesmerized by the seemingly endless fields of greenhouses growing weed. Only years later (after telling everyone about it) did I learn they were actually growing produce :D Dutch tomatoes have a reputation for being bland ("water bombs"), is making more flavourfull ones just product focus? Like picking the right varietal, picking them at the right time, delivering quickly, etc?
    - davidhunter 5y ago
      >First time I flew into Amsterdam it was dusk and I was mesmerized by the seemingly endless fields of greenhouses growing weed. Only years later (after telling everyone about it) did I learn they were actually growing produce :D Lol - yeah the production of cannabis is not yet legalised in The Netherlands. This is a great article on the Dutch greenhouse industry (unfortunately behind paywall): https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/holland-agriculture-sustainable-farming https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/holland-... >Dutch tomatoes have a reputation for being bland ("water bombs"), is making more flavourfull ones just product focus? Like picking the right varietal, picking them at the right time, delivering quickly, etc? I've heard this before too. Maybe this was a thing at one point in history but it's not true any more. If you go into a supermarket today in Europe then all the tomatoes on offer will have been grown in greenhouses. The low-end stuff will have been grown in Spanish/Moroccan low-tech greenhouses (plastic tunnels). The higher-end stuff will have been grown in Dutch glasshouses.
webnrrd2k 5y ago
Brown tomatoes are showing up in more grocery stores now, and have a much better tomato flavor than beefsteak tomatoes. They are often sold in a sleeve of six or so, or labeled as "kumatos". Really, give them a try - they are much better than regular store tomatoes.
- Wistar 5y ago
  I have seen brown ones packaged as you described but labeled as Capri. Maybe they aren't the same but they are a lot better than the average commercial tomato.

nhoughto 5y ago

and for something slightly more accessible and with photos =) on the same topic: https://www.seriouseats.com/why-you-should-refrigerate-tomatoes https://www.seriouseats.com/why-you-should-refrigerate-tomat...