If there’s ever been a more obvious case of marketing experts missing the target by a mile, I’m not aware of it:
Yahoo News: Joe Procacci’s tomatoes may taste great, but the Florida Tomato Committee says they’re just too ugly.
Procacci, a produce grower who has bred a special variety of tomato, says he sacrificed looks for taste… he says the committee shouldn’t restrict him from selling his UglyRipe brand across the USA. “They are prohibiting trade,” Procacci says of the committee, a 12-member board of tomato growers that dictates the size, shape and skin quality required of Florida-grown tomatoes. “Last year, we had to dump $3 million worth of tomatoes, and we had customers … who were begging for them.”
Misshapen and scarred but having a unique flavor, the UglyRipes Procacci grows in South Florida near Naples initially caused his sales to triple. But Florida’s strict marketing rules require that the state’s tomatoes look almost perfect or they can’t be sold out of state during the winter.
Planet Earth calling the “Florida Tomato Committee: “If a tomato tastes bad, it isn’t a perfect tomato!”
Back in ‘79 I did an internship in a rural community up in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Local garderners there grew tomatos that were so horribly misshapen they’d make you laugh just to look at them. With gallows humor, we called them “cancer tomatos.”
Oh, damn, those were good tomatos. They tasted wonderful. A big thick slice of one of those turned a hamburger from a sandwich into a sinful pleasure.
Now it’s 2004 and the “Florida Tomato Committee” is telling an enterprising grower who has created what consumers really want that he can’t sell it.
Well I’m sold. Just the name and the description. I’d love to try them. I live in Illinois and the sorry excuse for tomatos that wind up on our hamburgers are an offense to the senses.
If I go into a store and see “Procacci’s Ugly-Ripe Tomatos” on sale, I will buy them! And trust me, so will millions of other suffering Yankees. If only the “Florida Tomato Committee” will give us the chance.
Ugly tomato plants.
Genetically engineered cocaine plants.
Is there a budding relationship here?
Well, you can’t live in Illinois and not think about Agriculture!
I seem to remember an episode of The Simpsons where Homer became a farmer and crossed tobacco with tomatoes to create highly addictive tomaccos. Mmmmmm, tomaccos….
If I still knew anyone who lived in Florida, I’d have them send me a few Ugly Ripes tomatoes or Ugly Ripe seeds.
Do you think that any out of state seed companies will obtain these seeds for sale? Hope this tomato doesn’t end up like the Tuckermobile which was wiped out by Ford & GM.
Thanks. Chas
Just found another blogger pulling for Procacci: Doug’s World, Perspectives On Liberty.
This is a copy of a letter I just sent to the committee…………
Subject: Ugly Ripes………….THIS IS AMERICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can not believe you people ONLY want small, round, smooth tomatoes to be sold with NO TASTE! Who are you going to sell to? People like me? Then stop trying to tell me how to spend my hard earned money, and the grower, who by the way, haven’t you heard about the farmers going under, wonder why, and let me choose what I want to eat!!! After all, when did you hand me money? What do you look like and when can I move into your house so you can control the rest of my life? Where do you people get off trying to take away my American rights? I bet you are even one of those that want the extra iron in food, after all, something needs to be in it, but it made my illness worse and damaged my organs………So, when I move in and you take over the rest of my life, you also get my $30,000 to $50,000 a year medical bills! Send your address soon, at least I will be closer and can go buy them in person then, and it is snowing and I want the warm air, tired of the cold, hurts my joints even more then my illness. Can’t wait to get there, even my 4 dogs and 12 cats are excited!!!
“Ugly Tomatoes”…Back in the 30’s,40’s and 50’s my dad Hank was known as the “TOMATO KING” of Chicago’s South Water St.Produce Market.He sold thousands of car loads of Tomatoes from South Fla.Georgia and Michigan. He use to
tell me how he sold “those” ugly tomatoes to Ketchup and Can Tomatoe Companies because the A&P and other national chains would not sell them in their fresh produce departments. In the 50’s, when pizzia was being introduced to many major cities, those tomatoes were the main ingredient for fresh and then frozen pizzia makers.He one promise to name a brand of tomatoes after my nick-name-‘OMIE-BOY’ but never did, Now I’m glad because those tomatoes might of been marketed under “MY” name. When Hank died in 1980, we told the rest of his story…THAT HANK NEVER ATE A TOMATO IN HIS LIFE!
This is the reply I received from the committee about my letter! I wonder who is misleading who?????????
Dear Concerned Tomato Lover:
It has been falsely reported in the press that the Florida Tomato Committee (FTC) prohibits Procacci Brothers from shipping its UglyRipe™ tomato out of Florida. Plainly stated, FTC regulations do not prohibit the shipment of UglyRipe™ tomatoes. Procacci can and has shipped UglyRipe™ tomatoes out of Florida and we would assume continue to do so, under the minimum quality requirements established for the regulated area of Florida.
America’s consumers are being misled. The FTC does permit the shipment of UglyRipe™ tomatoes out of the state, as well as within Florida. Past inspection data shows 70 percent of inspected UglyRipe™ tomatoes fit for shipment to customers outside the state, with the remaining 30 percent fit for shipping to customers within Florida. It is not the place of the FTC to make business decisions for Procacci as to why the company might choose not to ship UglyRipe™ tomatoes out of Florida.
When handled properly, Florida tomatoes rank high in taste. In fact, taste tests conducted by independent research firm, Rose Research, show two out of three consumers preferring Florida tomatoes to its competitors. Florida’s tomato growers are committed to flavor research and continually invest hundreds of thousands of dollars into breeding programs focused on improving the flavor and nutritional values of Florida tomatoes. The goal is to grow a tomato with superior flavor, with just the right balance of sugars, acids and fruity/floral aromatics, and a higher level of disease-fighting lycopene.
The real barrier to flavorful tomatoes is improper handling. Proper handling of tomatoes is absolutely necessary to maintaining flavor integrity. Refrigeration and chilling kill tomato flavor. Sometimes chilling can occur before the consumer purchases the tomato. Despite many years of educating the public to this effect, unfortunately, 77 percent of consumers continue to believe tomatoes should be kept in the refrigerator.
Thank you for your tomato enthusiasm. We hope that you now have an informed, accurate account of activities as they relate to this product and the FTC.
Sincerely,
Florida Tomato Committee
Thanks for sending that, Diana! I’m not buying the Florida Tomato Committee’s reply – I don’t think they’d recognize a good tomato if it hit them on their starched white shirts.
Here in Illinois, locally-grown tomatoes have good flavor even though I keep them in the fridge. (If I don’t refrigerate them, they turn to mush in no time flat.) So whatever their excuse, refrigeration isn’t to blame.
Their reply is a snow-job. It sounds like a hundred other corporate denials when the spotlight shines on them.
I didn’t believe a word of it,since I checked online about them suing the comittee due to NOT being able to send out their products! It is all there under a search, anyone can read it.
To be real tomatoes, they have to vine-ripened outdoors. Tomatoes that are picked green and Hot House tomatoes are called “artificial tomatoes.”
That’s because they taste artificial. And that’s all you can get in restaurants and grocery stores.
Never heard of putting tomatoes in the fridge. Gross.
Is it possible to purchase Ugly Ripe seeds anywhere?
Here is the company’s response to the Florida Tomato Committee. The FTC says that 70% of the Uglyripes can be shipped out of state, but the growers are already throwing away 60% before the FTC even gets to look at them.
I saw a quote from a member of the FTC, comaparing this to the Miss America Contest, saying something like, “When is the last time you saw an ugly woman in the contest?”. Well, there is the problem—I don’t care what the tomato LOOKS like! I buy them for taste. I haven’t seen an Uglyripe around here, but I’d sure buy one.
http://www.santasweets.com/response-florida-tomatoe-committee.php
Is there ANY way to get this ugly tomato? I was intrigued the first time I heard about them. The ONLY time I had a tomato that tasted like what a tomato should (I say this because I’d never had a tomato that tasted SO great) was when I bought them on the vine in the supermarket. I was so impressed I decided to try them again, but the second time around they were bland & for the $$$ I didn’t want to try a vine-ripe tomato again. The mentality of that committee is zero (0) THEY ARE DEFINITELY “MENTAL.”
Buy a couple of those Artificial Hot House Ugly-Ripes out of the super-mart, let them rot down and save the seeds.
Dry the seeds and plant them. You can then grow Real Ugly-Ripes in your own garden.
Of course, never put tomatoes in the fridge.
Barry
First of all, the information given at the top is misleading. As is most of the crap reported on by anyone. Second of all, anyone who believes such propaganda is obviously a damn Yankee or a severely under-educated southerner. The tomatoe committee is not prohibiting Procacci from distributing his “Ugly Ripes” nationally. They (The Florida Tomatoe Committee) are merely trying to subject him to the same standards as every other Florida farmer. The same standards in which many farmers have prospered under and helped Florida develop a reputation for having exquisite produce.
We don’t eat artificial hothouse tomatoes out of grocery stores or restaurants. Ugly Ripes might be an improvement over other such artificial tomatoes.
When Ugly Ripes are raised in the garden, they are very good and a big improvement over other beefsteak types of tomatoes.
BUT, they’re no better than other garden raised tomatoes, such as Jet Star, Big Beef, and other varities.
The argument over Ugly Ripes turns out to be “MUCH ADO ABOUT NOT MUCH.”
Had to check it out for myself. Bob
Hey, what happened to all the interest in Ugly Ripes? You people really sounded serious about them. Some of you, even upset.
Am I the only one that got seeds, planted them, and found out for myself what was true?
Ugly Ripes are okay. Nothing special.
What’s happened to everyone. Was it all BS?
Bob
Chill out, Bob. Most of us are too busy to grow our own tomatoes – that’s why we want to be able to buy them in the market.
The most Procacci can get with good marketing is a chance to have people try his product one time.
The same seeds produce a different result depending on many factors. What a plant produces is a combination of the plant itself in a particular soil, exposure to sunlight, water, what pollination it receives, when it is harvested, etc. The information you got from your experiment was: how those seeds grow in your location. Which is, useful information. You’ve probably tried different seeds and found your favorite, no?
Bob,
I tried to get some seeds but was told no due to ownership rights and have no way to get them in N.C. otherwise. If you live in fla., please send me a few for my garden. I have asked several times for shipments or seeds from Procacci’s. Still waiting, but if you live there and dry some and send them to others,we can save for the next year ourselves.
Yes they will taste differently due to many factors but the basics will still be there and ANYTHING is better then store hot house cardboards.
Just about to grow some ugly ripes here from one I bought in the grocery store @ $3.99 per pound. I love the tomatoes, but I just can’t see paying that much. PS… not realy necessary to dry seeds before planting… I just remove the aril and plant… get about 95% germination.
AND… quote from
MoreCommonSenseThanMost
“They (The Florida Tomatoe Committee) are merely trying to subject him to the same standards as every other Florida farmer”
Obviously the “Florida Bland Tomato Committee” i.e. small and not so small Florida growers, are trying to protect there unblemished tasteless tomatoes standard because they fear competition would decrease the market share for there aesthetic tomatoes.
Wake up grocery chains… put suggestion boxes in various parts of the store to see what your customers want… the only possible result is sales increases and happier customers. Your staff are certainly not readily available to take suggestions. I certainly can’t see anyone writing “I want pretty tomatoes” but if they do, you will know it.
Grocery chains have indeed forgotton that we as customers need to be allowed to decide, and put pressure on the growers to produce better produce.
OK… rant over.
Peter.
I would sure like to buy some Ugly-Ripe seeds or tomatoes, but cant find them way up here in the north country. Does anyone know of a source???
Thanks
all I want to say is go here, http://www.santasweets.com
and order. I got a 6 pack for reasonable prices and dried out seeds from one, plus a new friend sent me some seeds from his. They are shipping.
The best tomatoes I ever had were the ones I purchased from a farmers market in my area. I love the produce and selections. Just as a word to the wise, go there toward the end of the day and you can get a lot of produce for really cheap, since most of the sellers want to get rid of what they have.
Well its 2008 and i just bought Ugly tomatoes at Winn Dixie supermarket for $4.99 per pound, they are worth every cent. Who’s got the last laugh now?
I don’t care about how it looks…..
As long it is healthy, not genetically engineered and fresh.
Taste is everything..