The new Raspberry King Association (Stowarzyszenie Malinowy Król, SMK) aims to integrate and represent raspberry tomato producers nationwide. The SMK currently has 30 members, representing companies supplying about 80 percent of raspberry tomatoes to all retail chains on the domestic market.
The association’s task is to promote initiatives, attitudes and activities that benefit the development of the Polish raspberry tomato market, to create the atmosphere of consumer confidence in Polish raspberry tomatoes, to counteract misleading consumers about the variety or the country of origin of the raspberry tomato, and to contribute to increasing the consumption of Polish raspberry tomatoes.
The organization was founded on the initiative of Rafał Zarzecki, president of the Citronex group, which includes the largest producers of raspberry tomatoes in Poland, but also smaller growers. In total, they have about 170 ha of greenhouses, intended only for the cultivation of one of the tastiest and most difficult varieties of the raspberry tomato to grow, Tomimaru Muchoo.
The raspberry tomato has been grown in Poland since 2010. The area of its cultivation increases year by year. In recent years, other varieties of the raspberry tomato have also appeared on the market, but they do not have the same flavor qualities as Tomimaru Muchoo.
This variety has never been promoted or sold under a common brand. Each horticultural farm has sold the product in its own-brand packaging, under its own logo and labeling, or in packaging imposed by retail chains. The SMK Association wants to promote among consumers "real" raspberry tomatoes, i.e. Tomimaru Muchoo, under the brand name "Raspberry King".
Raspberry tomatoes - though different varieties than Tomimaru Muchoo - are also produced in Spain and imported to Poland. Consumers in other European countries don’t know the taste of the raspberry tomato and don’t opt for it in any other country - except for Poland and Russia. For this reason, the Polish raspberry tomato is not exported to other European countries.
Source: www.wiadomoscihandlowe.pl