Oceanside tomatoes ripe for summer
July is here, which means it’s harvest time at West Coast Tomato Growers, home of the famed Oceanside Pole vine-ripe round and roma tomatoes from distinguished grower Harry Singh, Jr. and marketed exclusively by Oppy.
Following an excellent growing season and impressive first pick, Oppy is now shipping both types of tomatoes.
Mr. Singh is one of the last remaining true vine-ripe growers in California, achieving authentic tomato flavor that simply can’t be matched with other growing methods, said Mark Smith, senior sales representative at Oppy. “Producing tomatoes on poles is a complex process that takes time, resources, and expertise. A lot of passion and care goes into every step, and you can see it and taste it in every tomato.”
Smith noted that the Singh family has produced tomatoes in Oceanside for more than 70 years, refining its methods and selecting the preferred seed for the unique coastal growing environment.
“This season, Mr. Singh is growing his signature Sweet-10 variety, as well as a new variety that he’s trialed for the last four years,” Smith said. “It is testing off the charts for size, yield, flavor and shelf life.”
Oppy sales and quality assurance staff relocates to Oceanside for the season, working closely with counterparts at West Coast Tomato Growers to assure tomatoes ship to each customers’ size and arrival color specifications.
As well, Priya Singh has joined his father to oversee the season, acting as general manager following the passing of Dick Keim last November.
“Priya brings new perspective along with a deep understanding of what it means to grow tomatoes in the Oceanside Pole tradition,” Smith said. “He and his father are a great team to work with.”
While Oceanside Pole tomatoes are ripe for “grown in California” local promotions, Smith said they are popular throughout the U.S. and can be shipped anywhere.
“Anywhere that consumers love clean-slicing, richly flavored tomatoes is a good market for Oceanside Pole tomatoes,” Smith said.
Concurrent with the Oceanside Pole tomato offerings, Oppy is also marketing Canadian organic beefsteaks and tomatoes-on-the-vine from OriginO and conventional tomatoes-on-the-vine and cocktail tomatoes from SunSelect in California, providing a wide range of summer tomato options.
