PACIFIC TOMATO GROWERS - RIPE WITH CREATIVITY

What do most folks expect when they go to a produce company's website? Information on availability of commodities? Recipes? Company information? Access www.sunripeproduce.com for all that and something else: no-holds-barred creativity. It's the website shared by the companies that together form the Sunripe brand.

Pacific Tomato Growers is one of those companies. Bob Spence, its vice president of business development since June 2005, thinks there's no reason produce can't be fun, a philosophy that shows not only on the website, but in other promotional activity like the company's trade show presence. We'll talk about that in a minute.

The first thing you notice about the Sunripe site is its upbeat friendliness. It greets you with the words, "Hey, its us!" Click on any of the companies listed and you'll be taken to a list of contacts with a note saying, "We'd sure like to hear from you. Give us a call or send us an e-mail. We promise to get back to you lickety split!"

The Sunripe website if full of colorful characters like these.

SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

Naturally, you can find out what products the companies sell, availability, and the standard information available on many produce websites. But for something a little more unusual, roll the mouse over the little icons on the top of the page until you find one that says "Gazette."

Now we're having fun. The Gazette is a satirical "newsletter" published quarterly and posted on the website.

"That was done by our ad agency, SenaReider," said Spence. "They've done a lot of good work, including TV ads for the Florida Tomato Committee." Click on any cover page and get ready to laugh your socks off. The Gazette won the 2002 Marketing Excellence Award, presented annually by Produce Business magazine for good reason.

The Sunripe Gazette is a well-written satirical magazine published quarterly. Click on the image to read online.

It's satire at its folksiest. There's an article about Oprah Winfrey starting a produce club and causing the state of Iowa to run out of corn. It "quotes" the Iowa governor as saying, "She says she likes Georgia peaches and Georgia runs out of peaches. She says she likes Idaho potatoes. And ditto. This woman is systematically destroying the produce industry in America. Has she no shame?" Another article headline declares "Parsley farmer sued. Wages garnished."

The point of the Gazette is to promote name brand recognition delivered in the context of entertaining copy. The articles are based on current trends and events, but are completely fictitious, as are the bylines. The only real ads are Sunripe's.

GOOD THINGS IN THE WORKS

Spence says the companies are revamping the site to make it even better. "We want to make the appearance fresh and interesting with new fuctionality, he said. "It'll still have the characters, the Gazette, and we will still cover all the products. It'll convey their healthy, good-for-you aspects."

The part of the revamped site he's most excited about is a consumer section where cooks will be able to find recipes unavailable anywhere else. They also take the online recipe concept further than most food companies. Pacific Tomato Growers retains the services of a chef who creates their recipes, and will soon post new selections that will include health benefits, things to look for when buying ingredients, usage occasions, best varieties to use, care and handling, and availability charts.

DELICIOUS TRADE SHOW PRESENCE

The chef, Peter Lautner, who owns the famous Cottonwood Grill in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, is also a big part of Sunripe's trade show presence. "He is at every industry function, whether it be the Produce Marketing Association's convention, United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable, whatever, he's in the booth cooking something delicious," Spence said. Lautner constantly seeks new and delicious ways to prepare the Sunripe harvest.

That's not all the companies offer at trade shows. "There's a lot of excitement with the cooking," said Spence. "But we also have a great deal of useful information displayed in a colorful, interesting way. It talks about the fact that we grow 365 days a year all around the country and in Mexico, and it explains our food safety program where we're third-party audited for certification that we employ good manufacturing practices and good agricultural practices." " We have just received our first 3rd party audit for the new "SAFE" program and received a superior rating" Spence said.

Tomatoes pass the sharp eyes of workers at Pacific Tomato Growers' operation in Palmetto.

HELPING YOUNG MIGRANTS

Creativity also extends to charitable giving. The Sunripe Golf Classic is now in its seventh year of helping put migrant students through college. This year's event takes place April 22 at the Legacy Golf and Country Club in Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton. Sponsoring companies underwrite the event so that 100 percent of proceeds go to an endowed fund to support migrant students majoring in education.

"The total amount raised is pretty significant and puts a number of kids through college," said Spence. Why education majors? "The interesting twist to it is that these kids are then coming back out and teaching, so it's really a complete circle. I think the owners have done a great job with that event," he said. To learn more about this year's event, call (941) 722-3291.

In addition to Pacific Tomato Growers, Sunripe's family of companies includes Pacific Triple E, Pacific Collier Fresh, Heller Brother Packing Corp., and Kaliroy Pacific. The Esformes and Heller families who own and operate the companies have 4th generation family members in key leadership positions within the companies.