Full Flavor Reds Offer Real Tomato Taste

For Release: October 17, 2001

Full Flavor Reds® Offer Real Tomato Taste

McAllen, TX - Bionova/ Master’s Touch will introduce a new tomato product line called Full Flavor Reds® that promises to provide consumers better flavor and texture than tomatoes normally found in stores. During a four-week instore quantitative research study conducted last year in 15 Los Angeles area chain stores, eight out of ten consumers favored Full Flavor Reds when compared to regular beefsteak, roma, vine ripe or varieties of hothouse tomatoes. Full Flavor Reds will be available 12 months a year beginning in January, 2002.

“Much like the VineSweet Mini Pepper introduction last year, Full Flavor Reds are another example of our push to introduce products that were bred to meet the increasing consumer demands for different produce varieties,” said Jose Sanchez of Bionova’s product development team. “Our consumer tests put the Full Flavor Reds against regular hothouse tomatoes and we won hands down.”

Several chain stores have already expressed interest in the Full Flavor Reds based on research results and trials. Samplings are planned during 4^th quarter of this year with a full-scale rollout expected in January. Full Flavor Reds will be packed in one layer panapak boxes in 4X4, 4X5, 5X5 and 5X6 sizes; however Bionova is prepared to work directly with customers on additional custom pack presentations upon request and based on volume, commitment and price.

“Working in cooperation with retailers in California, Colorado and Texas last year,” Mr. Sanchez said, “we created several product promotional programs that helped generate trial and repeat purchase of the VineSweet Mini Peppers.”

In addition to retail promotions, Bionova plans to implement sampling promotions with chefs in key markets around the U.S., including those from PMA Fresh Summit host cities. “Through our annual PMA Fresh Summit ‘Chefs Choice Awards’ programs (a Master’s Touch sponsored competition for host city chefs) and targeted chef sampling promotions we have created effective ‘test kitchens’ for product attributes and to support foodservice organizations for menu planning,” he said.

Comments from foodservice customers about Full Flavor Reds are similar to those offered about the VineSweet Mini Pepper line regarding their bright color and sweet taste. “The unparalleled firmness of the Full Flavor Reds makes the slicing process easier allowing for great appearance in recipes, they also shrink less than regular tomatoes which is good news for food service people and they have a rich, full color that’s perfect for gourmet uses,” Mr. Sanchez said.

A similar effort to the VineSweet Mini Pepper promotion is planned for the Full Flavor Reds variety with cooperative advertising and product publicity, coupled with a full line of instore materials. “We produced materials that our chain store partners would use,” Mr. Sanchez continued, “including colorful channel strips, display cards, a “3X3” folder with four recipes all contained in a ‘store friendly’ holder, and several items that were aimed at supporting instore demonstrators on various product attributes.”

Because tomatoes are Bionova’s primary product line, the company’s experience with them will help ensure production goes smoothly. “Full Flavor Reds will be grown in Culiacan, Todo Santos and San Quintin regions of Mexico to start with,” said Javier Chousal, President, Bionova Produce, Inc. “Taste is the key. We expect consumers will find Full Flavor Reds wonderful for salads, sandwiches and other ‘cold’ plate items.”

More than 4,000 samples were provided during instore demonstrations, plus 200 intercepts or direct instore contacts with customers who were shopping for tomatoes. According to Webb G. Green, President of the research firm that conducted the test, consumer response was excellent.

“More than 75% of the 200 consumers interviewed said they re-purchased the product which is an outstanding rate,” Mr. Green said. “The propensity to purchase and re-purchase the product, coupled with its uniqueness among other tomatoes makes the Full Flavor Reds a clear win.” Mr. Green’s firm, TRD Frameworks, has specialized in market research for food products for more than 30 years.

Full Flavor Reds are the result of a proprietary seed that was developed specifically to “taste like a tomato should” when compared to tomatoes where firmness, flavor, color and texture were compromised in the effort to develop a year round product. “This is the type of product development that Bionova is focusing on to meet increasing consumer demand for great tasting fresh produce,” Mr. Sanchez said.

Excellent consumer and retail customer response to the Full Flavor Reds line will result in an even more aggressive rollout than occurred this year for the VineSweet Mini Pepper line. “One chain store customer said the Full Flavor Redsare welcome because so many tomatoes now taste ‘like the container they came in’,” said Mr. Sanchez. “This product truly has a wonderful tomato taste so we are very encouraged about our planned gradual rollout and the interest that has been expressed already by several chain store customers.