UK growers push premium tomatoes to drive £1bn market growth
British tomato growers are reallocating growing space to premium coloured and vine varieties, a strategic pivot to drive revenue growth in a saturated £1bn market where classic round sales are declining.
Sales of premium cherry-on-the-vine and non-red tomatoes are surging in the UK, putting them on track to overtake the classic round tomato this year.
The shift is reshaping a market where British consumers spend just over £1bn annually. According to Worldpanel by Numerator, overall tomato sales rose 3% in the 52 weeks to June 14, but non-red varieties grew by 21% and doubled over two years to reach £50m.
For growers and supermarkets, the trend represents a vital opportunity to increase transaction values in a sector where expanding the total customer base is difficult. Premium cherry-on-the-vine tomatoes gained £16m to hit £180m in sales, while classic round varieties slipped by £5m to £190m.
Producers are rapidly adjusting their agricultural output to capture this premiumization. Evesham Vale Growers, which supplies Sainsbury’s and Aldi, has shifted 20% of its growing area to an orange cherry-on-the-vine variety.
“We’ve got consumers used to the fact that tomatoes don’t have to be red,” said Paul Faulkner of Evesham Vale Growers. He noted that recent seed breeding breakthroughs mean “we’ve got new varieties that not only look great but taste fantastic.”
The financial momentum is expected to accelerate. “We expect premium cherry on the vine will overtake them this year,” Faulkner said, referring to the classic round segment.
Supermarkets are leveraging the trend to move larger volumes while maintaining margins. Retailers are selling bulk variety boxes that offer a lower price per kilogram, aiming to encourage shoppers to spend more per visit. Waitrose reported a 22.5% increase in sales of its £5 heritage tomato collection compared to last summer.
“It’s very hard to get new consumers buying. What you can do is get them to trade up and buy more, and with some of these bigger boxes, the price per kilo is better,” said Simon Conway, chair of the British Tomato Growers’ Association.
Specialized producers are also seeing significant returns from product diversification. Isle of Wight Tomatoes, which grows up to 55 varieties annually and sells through Marks & Spencer, Ocado, and an online subscription service, saw its Ocado sales jump 86% year-on-year.
“In the UK the consumer has come a long way in terms of confidence with food and willingness to try new things,” said Paul Thomas, the company's managing director.
