Tomberry
Tomberries next to a British pound coin
Tomberries next to a British pound coin
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)
Fruit weight1 to 2 grams
ColorYellow or red
ShapeGrape

Tomberry is a trademarked name for an unusually small cultivar of tomatoes developed by the Dutch company Eminent Seeds[1] and produced by the Netherlands company Littletom BV and distributed in the United Kingdom and continental Europe. The Tomberry is about 0.5 to 1 cm in diameter with an average fruit weight of 1 to 2 grams.[2] The fruits grows on branches containing 300 tomatoes.[3] As of 2021 they were sold in Poland, Turkey, Spain, Canada, Mexico and Israel.[4]

Production

The Tomberry presents difficulties for growers. Getting flowers and fruit to set early in growing, and managing new shoots during maturation is difficult. In countries with bumblebees, the insects are released in high amounts into the greenhouse in which they are grown. In countries without bumblebees, such as Australia, pollination is partly automated.[3]

Due to the high amount of fruits to be picked in harvesting, hand-picking is too labour-intensive. As a consequence, growers cut off whole branches and then dry them until they can be shaken loose with a machine. This process is itself precarious.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Catalogue Eminent Seeds". Eminent Food B.V. Retrieved 2018-10-20.
  2. ^ "Tomberry Product Detail Page". Eminent Food B.V. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
  3. ^ a b c Straight, Kerry (2022-07-08). "The world's tiniest tomato makes life easy for consumers but very difficult for growers". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
  4. ^ Russell, Matt (2021-04-23). "Massive upscale planned for Tomberry tomato brand after successful launch in Australia". www.freshplaza.com. Retrieved 2022-07-08.


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