Episode description

Transforming a commodity food item into a thriving brand is no easy feat, so to see the success that Isle of Wight Tomatoes has had starting from their humble beginnings is all the more impressive 🍅

The UK’s island paradise is headed by Paul Thomas, Co-founder and Managing Director. Starting in the food industry cooking up a storm in Australia, upon returning home, he found himself at London’s iconic Borough Market flogging his tomatoes to the public, surprised to discover tomatoes came in any other colour than red. 

His initial offering of six tomato varieties quickly became a sensation, and the buzz around his produce grew steadily. Fast forward to today, and Isle of Wight Tomatoes boasts a staggering 150+ tomato varieties, with plans to keep that number growing. They've become a go-to destination for fresh British produce, including (the occasional fiery) Padron peppers, heirloom aubergines, and more. 🌶️🍆

In this discussion, Paul explains the importance of crafting Isle of Wight Tomatoes into a comprehensive brand experience, a crucial element behind their remarkable success. He also shares how their pivot from business-to-business (B2B) to direct-to-consumer (D2C) during the pandemic turned out to be a game-changer for the brand.

We are always delighted to see any of Paul’s tomatoes come through our doors at Tastehead, so would enthusiastically urge you to taste some for yourself! 🍽️👩‍🍳




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Follow Brandt and Micah:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandt-maybury/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/micah-carr-hill-34a91811/

Visit https://www.tastehead.com/ to learn more


Follow Paul and Isle of Wight Tomatoes:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-thomas-41b65338/?originalSubdomain=uk

https://iowtomatoes.co.uk/

https://www.instagram.com/iowtomatoes/?hl=en


Links Mentioned:
Great Taste Awards - https://gff.co.uk/directory/?type=product&awards-scheme=1

Great British Food Awards - https://www.greatbritishfoodawards.com/

Good Housekeeping Awards - https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/about/a35310620/good-housekeeping-awards/

Borough Market - https://boroughmarket.org.uk/

Koffmann's Potatoes - https://thefoodheroes.com/koffmanns/  

Belazu - https://belazu.com/

Tony's - https://tonyschocolonely.com/uk/en

Quay, Syndey - https://www.quay.com.au/