Glasshouse technology is key to both the quality of our tomatoes and minimising the environmental impact of our production.

Because of the controlled environment, we can moderate temperature, harness sunlight and control the amount of water used. During warmer months plants are watered up to 40 times per day and in colder seasons, around 20 times per day.

The tomatoes are grown in naturally occurring Rockwool which is extracted from Lava rock and is recycled after use.

The operation is divided into two 10 hectare glasshouses with each plated at different times of the year to allow for year round production.

CostaExchange's tomato category has significantly reduced chemical use in two ways:

• By implementing integrated pest management
• By the simple fact of growing tomatoes in a glasshouse, where there is less exposure to pests

Workplace safety is as important as efficiency. Our AGVs (automated guided vehicles) are electronic picking trolleys that drive themselves from the glasshouse to packing sheds, where they automatically unload. This reduces heavy lifting by staff to virtually zero, increasing worker safety.