Value Added Products Get First Taste of Tomato Crop

Value Added Products Get First Taste of Tomato Crop

Wattie’s value added products are the first to benefit from the company’s 77th annual tomato crop, which is just passed the mid-point of the harvest.

In producing the country largest tomato crop Wattie’s carefully selects tomato varieties to meet and thrive in the Hawke’s Bay climate.

Wattie’s agronomist Jonny La Trobe who is responsible for the tomato crop, says the season is going well, and with half the harvest completed, the fruit quality and yields are good.

“While we may not pip last year’s exceptional volumes, favourable spring weather – which also benefited our peach crop - gave us an excellent start on which to build.”

La Trobe is very conscious that as with all crops in horticulture and agriculture, the final judgement on the season can’t be made until the harvesters complete their final runs, expected to finish before Easter.
All Wattie’s tomatoes are grown on the productive Heretaunga Plains in the Hawke’s Bay, and are part of the 108,000 tonnes of fruit and vegetables grown in New Zealand for Wattie’s.

About 8 million seedlings are grown from seed (almost 28,000 trays) in a dedicated Hasting’s nursery, and progressively planted out from about Labour Weekend the previous year. The seedlings take between 125 and 145 days before harvest.

Tomatoes were among the earliest crops planted and harvested for Sir James Wattie’s. A growing portion of the harvest is being used for consumer favourites like Wattie’s flavoured tomato range like Italian Style Tomatoes, Mexican Style Tomatoes, and Chopped Tomatoes with Roast Garlic.

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