Jacob’s idea is ripe for success

A teenage tomato entrepreneur is hoping that his new venture will sow the seeds of a big future in business.

Jacob Mann may be only 13, but he has researched, developed and set up his own company – The Tomato Cart – which will sell tomato plants around Sprowston.

And with his custom-built bicycle trolley ready to be loaded up, he’s hoping to become a well-known face around the town and beyond.

“I wanted to earn some money and to do something I enjoy,” said Jacob. “I like growing tomatoes – anyone can grow them, there are lots of varieties, you can grow them anywhere and they are very healthy. Some of the varieties are colourful and naturally appealing to younger children. What parent doesn’t want to look for a way to encourage their child to eat more fruit and veg?”

He and his dad, Tom, got a greenhouse from Freecycle and customised it for tomato plants. There are now around 300 seedlings which will soon be ready to go.

And the Sprowston Community Academy pupil has just planted another 300 seeds, so the production line is in full swing.

He said he had a wide range of varieties, from windowsill plants to full sized fruit, covering a whole rainbow of colours, but added that he did have favourites.

“Tomatoes aren’t all red,” he said. “I love the Aurora Blue because of the midnight blue colour, but I also like Wolverine because it’s cool that a tomato has the same colours as the Marvel character Wolverine.

“I like Canary Kiss (a bright yellow tomato) because I’m local to Norwich City. Then again, I like Laura because that’s my mum’s name!”

He is already lining up pitches at car boot sales and farmers’ markets – including in Rackheath – and has plans to expand to Sheringham, where he has family to host a stall.

And once the tomato season is over he will be turning his attention to a more festive crop.

“I plan to focus on sprout stalks for children to grow and then harvest at Christmas,” he said. “They might try to eat them for once!”

And as well as selling them he has been looking into how to care for different varities and will be passing on tips to keep the plants healthy once they have left his care.

Jacob said he would be letting people know where he was selling his plants through Facebook and on his website – www.thetomatocart.carrd.co – but added: “Hopefully the crowd will give away my location!”