Meet Frank & Able
Fresh from the frozen prairies of Alberta, a bright new produce brand is headed your way.
Cultivated in a collaboration between an innovative greenhouse tomato-on-the-vine producer and leading marketer and distributor Oppy, Frank & Able is the new name for greenhouse tomato quality and enjoyment.
Energized by the youthful vision of Sunshine Greenhouse owners Dirk and Keith Vis and their brother-in-law Devin Jaspers, and fortified by Oppy’s proven marketing expertise in the sector, the first Frank & Able tomatoes are available now.
The Vis family has grown greenhouse tomatoes-on-the-vine since 1989, when Dirk and Keith’s father Andy and mother Alice began with half an acre under glass in Redcliff, Alberta. Now owned and operated by the younger generation and producing year-round on 13 acres—including the winter months where low temperatures hover in the single digits Fahrenheit—Dirk Vis, general manager, noted that the Frank & Able brand is true to the character of the company and its heritage.
“Through honesty and hard work, we are growing a basic necessity of life—nutritious, wholesome fresh produce,” he said. “As we rejuvenate our overall go-to-market approach, we’re anchoring our efforts with a brand that reflects what’s really important to us. By being frank and being able, we do our very best to grow well and deliver especially high quality every day.”
The Frank & Able brand has an inviting, hand crafted look and is supported by the positioning line Put the best on your table.
“It’s a simple idea that we believe will create confidence at the trade and consumer level,” said James Milne, vice president of marketing at Oppy. “Here’s a group of earnest young growers who have taken to heart the values of the last generation and made them relevant to today’s market. The Oppy marketing team rolled up its sleeves to undertake a very fun and energetic brand development collaboration with Dirk, Keith and Devin. Guided by the growers’ values, we created a look and feel for Frank & Able that truly expresses the spirit of the brand, as well as the positioning line and the architecture that will sustain it into the future.”
Customers looking for a TOV grown with the same artisan approach you’d expect from a craft brewer will appreciate serving these fine tomatoes to their families, according to Oppy Executive Greenhouse Category Director Aaron Quon.
“We are very excited to bring Canadian tomatoes-on-the-vine of this caliber to the marketplace,” he said, noting how well the Frank & Able tomatoes complement the Oppy greenhouse offering.
Vis and his team grow under lights, enabling tomato production even on the snowiest of winter days. Plans are in place for the construction of five additional high tech acres under glass, as well as a new packing facility, before the end of the year.
Frank & Able tomatoes will be available exclusively from Oppy in bulk 11-lb cartons, cello bags, vexar bags and RPCs.
