I
n the heart of Leamington, Ontario, a delicious, golden-hued tomato grows steadily underneath a cutting-edge lighting system within a state-of-the-art greenhouse.
What began as a strategically planted seed has now evolved into a carefully tended seedling, eventually transitioning to a full-grown plant decorated with vibrant golden cherry tomatoes boasting a distinct and coveted flavor profile.
This may be one single plant in an operation that spans multiple categories and several high-tech facilities across North America, but it is a prime example of the meticulous growth plan implemented by Pure Flavor® as it brings a portfolio of innovative tomato, cucumber, pepper, melon, and berry varieties to market.
Inspired by quality, flavor, and a customer-first attitude toward providing greenhouse-grown fruits and vegetables, the Canada-based greenhouse grower views itself as the next generation in vegetable production.
“By providing greenhouse-grown vegetables that meet our exceptional quality standards, we remain a humble, trusted, and innovative family-operated company that treats our growers, employees, and customers as integral partners in our sustainable growth,” Chief Executive Officer Jamie Moracci explains as we take a moment to discuss Pure Flavor’s founding mission and evolving legacy.
Akin to the robust variety of greenhouse-grown fruits and vegetables comprising the Pure Flavor portfolio, this cherished company legacy is the fruit of a single seed of inspiration. When the operation was founded in 2003, Pure Flavor began as a distribution company. This experience as a produce industry partner granted the supplier a unique advantage when it later evolved into a vertically integrated grower and distributor of fresh fruits and vegetables.
“The service focus has been tightly woven into our business right from the start, and it continues to be one of the most important elements of our culture and how we run our business.”
Jamie Moracci, Chief Executive Officer, Pure Flavor®
“We learned the service side of the business first, which allowed us to focus heavily on customer service,” Jamie recounts. “As we evolved into a vertically integrated business, that service-first mentality has remained pivotal to our success. The service focus has been tightly woven into our business right from the start, and it continues to be one of the most important elements of our culture and how we run our business.”
This unrelenting focus on service and quality is one of the many elements that set Pure Flavor apart, Jamie tells me.
“Our whole team, including our family of growers, works hard to maintain the highest standards of quality and service that our customers expect,” he says. “Pure Flavor’s business was founded on this service focus, and it remains just as important to us today as it was then.”
The past two-plus decades have resulted in exponential growth for Pure Flavor, made possible by significant investments in land, growing and production, operations, natural resources, general management, and more. In addition, the company has continued to fuel advancement across its research and development, sales and marketing, and logistics departments. Through these tactical investments, the provider has increased its strength on multiple fronts, effectively distinguishing itself from competitors.
Another way Pure Flavor has boosted its strength as a reliable supply-side partner is by maintaining production control with regional growing operations. Pure Flavor owns and controls a large percentage of its production, strategically located in Canada and the United States.
This promotes a heightened level of control, quality, and reliability, while also allowing the company to reduce food miles to customers and provide consumers with fresher products on the shelves.
“Regional growing operations are imperative for growth, as they allow us to continue exploring untapped markets,” Jamie adds. “We’ve differentiated our business by entering regions that have primarily field-grown operations. This has enabled us to create locally grown programs that provide our retail and foodservice partners with a competitive advantage.”
Central to this growth and success is the organization’s family-first culture, having been family-operated since its founding.
“We take pride in creating a family atmosphere and living our brand promise by supporting healthier lifestyles for our consumers, communities, partners, and employees,” Jamie continues. “Our company culture is built on the expertise and experience of our team members, who serve as our strongest brand ambassadors in sharing our healthy lifestyles. We listen to what our team has to say, learn what is important, and transform the information into a positive initiative. Having an engaged team of experts is one of our greatest strengths, and ensuring they are valued for what they have to offer is incredibly important to us and the success of our business.”
So, what’s next for this produce industry player as we race toward 2025 and even further industry advancement? Pure Flavor is setting its focus on continued accelerated growth and innovation, maintaining its already strong momentum in the greenhouse sector through acquisitions and other strategic moves.
“We have maintained a rapid pace of growth, and we expect that pace to accelerate in the future. Most recently, our acquisition of Mighty Vine—a leading tomato brand in Rochelle, Illinois—was a strategic investment for us in the Midwest region. Adding a 30-acre lit facility to our acreage, along with our Peach County, Georgia, facility, has significantly extended our capacity to service the Midwest with local, U.S.-grown tomatoes,” Jamie explains, breaking down several recent expansion plays bolstering the Pure Flavor operation. “Add to that a number of investments and acquisitions in our growing network, as well as the introduction of our McAllen, Texas, distribution center, and it is undeniable that we are investing for our future as an industry leader. We are constantly looking for ways to facilitate growth alongside our grower partners.”
Pure Flavor plans to continue strengthening this successful business model and developing regional growing operations and owned acreage to remove seasonality from its business and the categories it serves. As Jamie hints, we can expect additional strategic investments in markets that allow the producer to supply more high-quality fresh produce quickly and efficiently across its North American distribution footprint.
“We have maintained a rapid pace of growth, and we expect that pace to accelerate in the future.”
With this continued expansion, we are also sure to see a steady stream of innovation from the Pure Flavor brand.
“We’re innovating on all fronts. From driving incremental growth in categories that can benefit from greenhouse-grown segments like melons to introducing exceptional award-winning new varieties with a focus on flavor like OMG Tomatoes™,” Jamie shares with pride, bringing us full circle back to that little golden tomato. “This also includes integrating the latest technology and automation into our operations. We don’t take innovation lightly. We use it as a strategic tool to help support and drive our mission forward.”
While the company plans to spark advancements across several key areas of its business, some things will surely remain the same for this grower.
“What won’t change is our commitment to what matters: Pure Flavor is a business that is intensely focused on service; a smart, strategic approach to sustainable growth; and a family-oriented culture that values the people who will help us get there,” Jamie concludes.
For the leaders at Pure Flavor, growth is a continuous state of being.
Whether it be innovative portfolio developments such as its greenhouse melons or geographical expansions achieved through strategically executed acquisitions, every decision the grower makes is guided by a company-wide desire to keep growing.
These moves continue to solidify the supplier’s stance as a leader in flavor, innovation, service, and much more, bringing a fresh, high-quality portfolio of greenhouse-grown produce to more consumers along the way. 
