Elmira’s Own takes Leadership in Eliminating landfill waste
Located in rural Elmira Ontario, Elmira’s Own Tomatoes has supplied the local and surrounding communities with delicious, quality vegetables for many years.
Elmira’s tomatoes are left to ripen on the vine, allowing for maximum flavour and nutrient content. The company maintains natural growing practices, using bumble bees to pollinate the plants, and introducing additional bugs to help balance the ecosystem. Water recycling and other environmental measures ensure that best sustainability practices are observed.
On Earth Day, Elmira’s Own officially announced their commitment to use only 100% certified backyard compostable packaging. The company changed from conventional plastic packaging to adopt a renewable and compostable alternative. With the same commitment Elmira’s Own had to providing local communities with nutritious, flavourful vegetables, they are now dedicated to helping surrounding communities eliminate landfill waste. Their delicious tomatoes are now packed in a compostable wood fibre pulp tray and wrapped in a transparent NatureFlex film, NatureFlex NVS (also made from wood fibres). This means that the packaging can go straight into the garden compost bin, diverting waste from landfills.
Later this summer, Elmira’s Own is hoping to change to an even more sustainable tray made from grasses grown on local farms. These perennial grasses, harvested annually, sequester carbon back into the soil reducing Elmira’s Own carbon footprint.
According to Stuart Horst of Elmira’s Own: “The qualification of a new packaging for our tomatoes required a series of tests. We considered a variety of materials, however NatureFlex NVS proved to be best suited for our requirements. Not only does the film compost extremely fast, it has allowed us to increase the shelf life of our produce! That is something positive for our business. Preserving the quality of our vine-ripened tomatoes is essential so that consumers experience them at their best.” Christopher Tom, Futamura Regional Sales added, “We are delighted that Elmira’s Own has chosen our NatureFlex film to package its range of tomatoes. Our product complements their high-quality produce, protects the tomatoes for longer, and can be composted after use – it’s the perfect match.” Look for Elmira’s Own tomatoes in their new earth friendly packaging at your local grocery stores • Dar’s Country Market - Elora
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