Winning Ugly

Philly's UglyRipe tomato ain't pretty, but it's pretty good.

by Patrick Rapa

Michael T. Regan

Longtime Philly produce kingpin Joe Procacci had no reservations about naming his flagship tomato the UglyRipe.

He knows it's not the prettiest fruit in the bowl. The UglyRipe is complicated-looking and asymmetrical, bulbous in ways most often seen in pumpkins, with rounded ridges radiating outwardly and awkwardly. It appears to be bursting at the seams.

But, Procacci points out that the Ugli Fruit, a tangelo from Jamaica — despite looking like a mortified grapefruit — is prized for its sweet, succulent taste.

The first question you have when you first set eyes on the UglyRipe is ... why?

"We've been in the tomato business for 60 years, and all we heard from consumers was that tomatoes taste like cardboard," says Procacci. So his research and development company took the tasty Marmande — a European heirloom tomato that is usually considered too fragile to ship — and crossed it with heartier breeds. "And we came up with this variety. It's very odd-shaped and it's kinda ugly to look at.

"And demand exceeds supply. We can't grow 'em fast enough. Because the people want a tasty tomato."

The UglyRipe's shape and relative fragility has led to some issues. In 2004, the Florida Tomato Committee — the group that decides which kinds are allowed to be shipped out of the state — decided to hold the UglyRipe, which debuted in 2000, to the same size and shape standards (i.e. large and round) as the rest of Florida's tomatoes. Before that, they'd made an exemption. Why the change of heart? Procacci calls it political, since the committee is populated by his competitors: "They had selfish motives because we were taking a big market share. We had a superior tomato and they couldn't compete. Because it was an exclusive patented variety."

This led to a years-long legal battle, that was finally won in 2007. Right now the UglyRipe — which is also grown in North Carolina and New Jersey — is widely available.

The unique shape also means all picking and sorting has to be done by hand, which can make it expensive. "Normally we sell 'em for over $2 a pound wholesale, so when you go in the stores you may see 'em priced at $3.99 or $2.99. Some stores even sell 'em for $4.99 a pound."

And this isn't a specialty item for high-end boutique shops. You can usually find them in your local Superfresh and ShopRite. This past weekend I picked up four for 10 bucks (each one wrapped in a spongy protective net) at an Acme in Jersey, and had my extended family check them out. The reviews around the table were all positive, although some didn't think it was all that special. Most agreed it had a less watery consistency and stronger tomato taste — not different, just a bit more intense — than the common salad tomato.

"It's the best eatin' tomato on the market," says Procacci. "If you go into the supermarket there's beautiful-looking tomatoes but if you taste 'em, they don't taste like a tomato."

(pat@citypaper.net)