A Tale of Two Tomatoes

I wondered how tomatoes could be so different. This weekend, I purchased two types of fresh tomatoes: Bushel Boy brand beefsteak tomatoes, grown in Owatonna, Minnesota, and generic Roma tomatoes, imported from Mexico. The varietal difference aside, I judged these tomatoes poles apart in appearance, aroma, flavor, and texture. The Bushel Boy tomatoes were deep red, juicy, and robustly flavored. The Mexican tomatoes were anemic pink, unyieldingly firm, and bland. The Minnesota product cost $3 a pound, and the Mexican tomatoes, $1.50. My food purchase is a case study in agriculture economics, politics, and ideology.

Bushel Boy Farms grows its tomatoes in climate-controlled greenhouses and uses petroleum-based fertilizers and heat. The company benefits from low distribution costs and maximal product freshness. The Mexican growers also use artificial fertilizers but ship their tomatoes thousands of miles in petroleum-fueled trucks. The Minnesota tomatoes meet Pollan’s “buy locally” polemic but fall short of his campaign against petroleum-based agriculture production. The Mexican tomatoes meet none of Pollan’s desirable food criteria.

Bushel Boy Farms avoids direct involvement in an ongoing tomato trade debate between Mexico and the United States. (Florida growers claim that Mexican growers unfairly price their tomatoes.) Bushel Boy has the advantage of catering to an exclusive regional market. The product offers consumers a significant point of difference: a so-called vine-ripened freshness unmatched by most other commercial tomatoes.

In a way, the company embraces a Friedman-inspired economic philosophy. It developed and commercialized a unique approach to tomato growing and distribution. I assume investors rather than government subsides helped capitalize the venture. Bushel Boy Farms success can only be due to producing a product that meets a consumer need.