Nathan Pumplin, CEO of Norfolk Healthy Produce, introduced The Purple Tomato at Cultivate'25. Learn how it was created, how it grows and how it tastes in this video.
Nathan Pumplin, CEO of Norfolk Healthy Produce, introduced The Purple Tomato, the product of 18 years of scientific research. Pumplin, a plant breeder turned CEO, said the key was when a British professor found two genes from snapdragon that turned on the tomato’s color lightbulb. Since that point, Pumplin and his team have used traditional plant breeding methods to develop a variety that grows well and looks great while still being tasty.
The Purple Tomato is available through two growers: Little Prince of Oregon and Riverbend Nursery. It’s also available at retail at some grocery stores in North Carolina through the Washington D.C. area.
Latest from Nursery Management
- Voting now open for the National Garden Bureau's 2026 Green Thumb Award Winners
- Sam Hoadley talks about Mt. Cuba Center's latest evaluation of Solidago sp. for the Mid-Atlantic region
- [WATCH] Betting big on Burro: Kawahara Nurseries' roadmap for scaling to a 12-robot fleet
- Weed Control Report
- New Jersey Nursery & Landscape Association announces annual awards
- Star Roses and Plants announces restructure of woody ornamentals team
- New Michigan box tree moth alert available in English and Spanish
- The Growth Industry Episode 8: From NFL guard to expert gardener with Chuck Hutchison
