New Lettuce, Tomato Available For The Foodservice Industry
July 26, 2012 
Nunhems, the vegetable seed business of Bayer CropScience, has entered into agreements with Mann Packing and The Produce Exchange allowing the companies to market new specialty seed varieties in the U.S.
Two Nunhems varieties – Intense, a tomato, and Greenglace, a new green leaf-iceberg hybrid lettuce – are being marketed to the food service industry as improved ingredients for sandwiches or hamburgers.
“These products are demonstrative of Nunhems’ commitment to providing consumers an improved eating experience through our genetic expertise,” Rebecca Catlett, Nunhems’ produce chain manager, explains. “Consumers will notice less sogginess on their sandwich with a tomato that does not leak and lettuce that is not only crisp, but sweet, too.”
Martin Mazzanti, founder of The Produce Exchange, discovered the Intense tomato during a visit to seed trials in Spain in 2006, and began marketing it under the Tesoro brand in 2011. Tesoro means “treasure” in Italian, and pairs well with the variety’s “Food Lover’s Tomato” marketing campaign.
“Tesoro is a tomato that offers a different functionality and a different result than its juicy, conventional cousins,” Mazzanti said. “Its performance, when used in recipes, promises to offer a convenient and delicious option that will bring more sales to fresh tomatoes.”
Mann Packing was introduced to the unique leaf lettuce variety Greenglace during trial visits to England in 2010, and launched it under the Better Burger Leaf brand at the PMA Foodservice Conference earlier this week. “We loved the leaf variety because it filled the shape of sandwich breads and burger buns better than traditional green leaf. It has a tender crunch and a sweet iceberg flavor,” Rick Russo, director of foodservice sales at Mann Packing, said. “We worked closely with Nunhems to make sure we can grow in both the desert and Salinas seasons to ensure seamless sourcing throughout the year.”
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