Red Sun Farms' Leona Neill Discusses Category Innovations, Sustainability, and More in Lead-Up to Southeast Produce Council's Southern Innovations
ONTARIO, CANADA - To redefine innovation is a tall order, but I know Red Sun Farms will rise to the challenge. The greenhouse grower is readying for Southeast Produce Council's (SEPC) Southern Innovations at the end of this month with a host of innovations across products, technology, and sustainability. I reached out to Leona Neill, Director of Marketing and Packaging, to learn more.
“New varieties like Sweetpops are redefining snacking tomato standards. This variety delivers an explosion of flavor, in a snack-size tomato. The third season using a one-of-a-kind LED technology will be underway shortly, supplying Ontario-grown peppers year-round,” she explained to me. “The unique technology recreates and modulates the full spectrum of the sun's natural light, essentially enabling the farm to deseasonalize production.”
At the show, Red Sun Farms will be doubling down on its value proposition of Seed to Plate.
“Our team pride themselves in owning every step of the process: seed selection, propagation at the farms, greenhouse operations, harvesting, packing and distribution. Our master growers have selected varieties of tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers that will delight and exceed customers’ flavor expectations. Red Sun Farms is committed to supporting our partners, and we’re looking forward to exceeding their needs with amazing flavor, quality and year-round supply,” Leona noted.
Sustainability is another factor that Red Sun Farms delivers on, taking great care to be an industry leader in this space.
“The company’s farms use sustainable practices like water recycling, yield optimization, and best practices that minimize food waste,” Leona remarked. “The marketing team works with packaging suppliers to develop new, eco-friendly options. The team has also challenged our packaging suppliers to push sustainable technology resulting in the commercialization, increased recycle content in clamshells, fiber punnets, compostable PLUs, and labels with washable adhesives. We see more opportunities for sustainable improvements through technology, and we look forward to working with our suppliers in bringing new solutions to our consumers.”
The company continues to see opportunities for expansion in its environmental stewardship initiatives and is making sure environmental impact and sustainability is top of mind in everything it does, both at the farm and in the packaging it sources.
To learn more from the innovators themselves, stop by booth #601.
