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We were recently featured in The Produce News!

07/31/2006
Ripe Thing Marketing Services, located 10 miles south of Cincinnati in Crescent Springs, KY, is pushing tomato flavor.

Gary Hodge of Hodge Marketing Group LLC in Crescent Springs bought the "Ripe Thing" name that was developed in 1996 by Do Ripe Farms LLC. Do Ripe declared bankruptcy in 2003, and Mr. Hodge soon after acquired the web site name, ripething.com, and the telephone number 1-88-tomatoes. Mr. Hodge left his position as vice president of business development of Caruso Inc. in Cincinnati last March to fully develop the brand, which is built around shipping tomatoes that are picked pink or red from fields, then rushed to distribution centers. Mr. Hodge became acquainted with "Ripe Thing" in 2001 when Caruso started repacking for the Atlanta firm.

Mr. Hodge markets his tomato vs. gassed greens, "which could be two or three weeks old" at retail, and he also compares "Ripe Thing" to greenhouse tomatoes, noting that "if they're grown in the sun and dirt, they taste better."

Mr. Hodge said July 25 that he was marketing tomatoes at that time that were grown in Virginia, Tennessee and the Carolinas. "We'll soon be out of Michigan and Kentucky, and then start over in Florida. We have sources in Arkansas. We follow the deal. Where it goes, we have growers."

Currently, "Ripe Thing" is marketing East Coast tomatoes, although Mr. Hodge is talking to California growers to expand operations. "Ripe Thing" tomatoes are available year-round.

He is also looking to expand product lines, laying plans for "Ripe Thing" avocados, "Ripe Thing" tree-ripened kiwi fruit, "Ripe Thing" mangos and "Ripe Thing" apples. He hopes to release mangos and avocados in the spring.

Mr. Hodge recently attended the Produce Marketing Association's foodservice conference in Monterey, CA, and said that the conversation was all about the importance of flavor to please today's consumers. "That is what ripening is all about," he noted.

Mr. Hodge said that the "Ripe Thing" brand enjoyed a lot of consumer recognition before Do Ripe had financial problems. It also had "a good retailer following." Ripe Thing Marketing Services is supporting sales with extensive consumer-oriented promotions through mobile billboards, its web site and an extensive emphasis on point-of-sale promotions. He noted that a good-tasting product has no produce department advantage if the consumer isn't told that the product tastes better than other options. Ripe Thing has display-ready bulk packaging, which is loaded with consumer information. The company also packs "Ripe Thing" overwrapped trays which also provide consumer nutrition and promotional information.

Mr. Hodge has been in the produce business for 32 years, having worked for a Castellini company, Grant County Foods in Dry Ridge, KY. He was also the first produce and floral head for Super K-Mart. "We went from zero to 62 stores while I was there."

"I have a very good background," he said. "I am passionate about produce and very passionate about tomatoes."

He said that he has extensively studied the tomato category, which has good grape tomatoes, including Santa Sweets offered by Procacci Bros. in Philadelphia.

But "Ripe Thing" brings a "true vine-ripe tomato. We take no short cuts. We offer the best in class," Mr. Hodge said.

Among the promotional aspects of "Ripe Thing" is the slogan, "We support U.S. farmers." The company might use imported tomatoes in the future, "but our goal is to support U.S. farmers."

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