Oishii Releases the Rubī, a New Shiny, Red Luxury Tomato
The vertical farm trailblazer is expanding beyond its famous omakase strawberries.
Photo courtesy of Oishii
Why eat a regular old tomato when you could bite into an insanely perfect-looking and naturally flavor-optimized tomato? That’s the question raised by the latest release from Oishii, the vertical farming company that, in the last few years, has brought us two luxury strawberry varieties, the Omakase and the Koyo berries.
This week, Oishii is moving beyond berries to unveil its new Rubī Tomato. Developed using a Japanese “fruit tomato” varietal that’s about the same size as a cherry tomato, the Rubī promises to provide “the perfect balance of sweetness, acidity and umami.”
According to Oishii, the Rubī (which translates to “ruby” in Japanese”) is a “jewel-like” sweet tomato featuring “a bright red, shiny, delicate skin that encases its juicy center bursting with flavor.” The Rubī has one layer of skin, compared to the three to four layers most other tomatoes have, according to Oishii.
Photo courtesy of Oishii
“Red is our favorite color at Oishii. The Rubī is the sweetest tomato you will ever taste and builds on what we started with our delicious strawberries: we’re on a mission to redefine how we experience fresh fruit,” Hiroki Koga, Oishii’s CEO and co-founder, says in a press release.
To clarify, the Rubī is not a GMO tomato. Its perpetually in-season freshness stems from the fact that, like the Omakase and the Koyo Berries, it is grown in “state-of-the-art” and “pesticide-free” indoor vertical farms in Jersey City, New Jersey.
“We’re huge believers that vertical farming is the answer to the future of agriculture; it allows us to grow great-tasting produce in a way that’s better for people and better for the planet. But this technology will only take root if we can grow complex fruits and vegetables – like strawberries and tomatoes – efficiently and at scale,” Koga says. “With The Rubī and The Koyo Berry, we’re here to show that this future is here today.”
Photo courtesy of Oishii
The Rubī’s release follows the rapid success and Northeast regional expansion of the Koyo berry’s market availability. While the new Rubī is initially available — priced at $9.99 for a tray of 11 tomatoes — only at Whole Foods Market’s Jersey City location, the tomato’s availability will expand to other Whole Foods Market stores in the coming months.
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