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Home Solutions Categories Food manufacturing and processing Tomato processing and production

How can you unlock new value in tomato preparations? 

Tomato preparations are a staple of cuisines worldwide, trusted by consumers who value their versatility and year-round availability. As demand grows, producers face pressure to increase efficiency, control costs and meet expectations for convenient, responsibly packaged shelf-stable tomato products. The question is how to capture this opportunity without adding complexity. Moving beyond cans and jars with paper-based cartons – and leveraging Tetra Pak’s advanced food production systems – can open new routes to profitable, future-ready growth.

Tomato preparations are ripe for global growth

A ton of opportunities in tomato processing

From 48.5 million tons in 2024, the global tomato processing market size is expected to grow to 64.6 million tons in 2033. The drivers? The convenience of tomato-based sauces, ketchup and pastes and emerging culinary trends such as the farm-to-table movement, among others.

 

Source: Tomato Processing Market Report, IMARC

Tomato facts cagr

Strong growth for tomato pastes and purees

From USD 13.25bn in 2024 to USD 18.42bn in 2032, the global tomato pastes and puree market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.2%. Drivers are the rising global consumption of ready-to-eat products and the growing popularity of international cuisines using tomato-based sauces.

 

Source: Global Tomato Pastes and Purees Market Size, Share and Trends Analysis Report, Data Bridge

Which production route will drive your tomato growth?

We help brands, co-packers and private-label retailers capture growth in tomato preparations through complete, integrated capabilities – from ingredient preparation to packaging and beyond. Depending on your recipe profile and business goals, you can leverage one or more of our three globally proven options for tomato preparations that work together to optimise quality, efficiency and value.

Tetra recart cartoons in shop

A game-changer for shelf-stable products

Move beyond cans and jars with Tetra Recart, the paper-based, retortable solution for food that’s cost competitive and loved by consumers. Ideal for chopped, diced or seasoned tomato products, this game changing solution helps brands stand out in store and online while enhancing operational efficiency.

Discover Tetra Recart⁠
Tomato paste in Tetra Brik Aseptic carton

Aseptic solutions for ambient distribution

Combine aseptic processing and filling in Tetra Pak aseptic carton packages for smooth purées, concentrates and base tomato products. These integrated aseptic solutions enable product safety, a long shelf life and efficient distribution for high-volume production, helping you optimise quality and cut complexity from plant to shelf. 

See our aseptic packaging solutions⁠
Operator proccessing plant

Refine quality and efficiency from the start

Boost consistency, flavour and yield with Tetra Pak advanced processing lines and equipment for tomato preparations. Continuous or batch systems handle everything from smooth purées to chunky products, supported by precise mixing, heating and blending technologies designed for versatility and throughput.

Explore tomato processing⁠

How do retortable paper-based cartons add value for tomato preparations?

Producers of tomato preparations face pressure to grow, simplify operations and meet rising expectations on quality, value and packaging performance. Switching from cans and jars toretortable paper-based cartons opens new opportunities for differentiation, efficiency and consumer appeal – without adding complexity or cost.

1. Product and brand

1. Product and brand

Modernise your tomato range:
Strengthen your tomato portfolio with modern, paper-based packaging that supports innovation and sustainability ambitions while delivering a lighter, contemporary look loved by consumers.

2. On-pack communication

2. On-pack communication

Tell a clearer story to shoppers:
Use flat panels and six printable faces to clearly highlight origin, quality and recipe information, building a strong shelf presence and helping shoppers recognise your brand instantly.

3. Range efficiency

3. Range efficiency

Optimise pack sizes for retail success:
Tomato preparations typically use the 390 ml format, giving consumers familiarity and convenience while simplifying production and shelf management.

4. Production and logistics

4. Production and logistics

Simplify storage and transport:
Flat-packed empty cartons streamline handling and require less warehouse space, while you also get more filled Tetra Recart packs per pallet than cans in many configurations – helping lower transport cost per unit.1

5. Sustainability and perception

5. Sustainability and perception

Support your sustainability story:
Paper-based cartons use a high share of renewable materials and can have a lower climate impact than other tomato preparations formats, as shown in comparative LCAs for defined markets.2

6. Consumer appeal

6. Consumer appeal

Deliver everyday convenience:
Cartons are lightweight, safe and easy to open, pour and flatten after use – improving daily convenience and aligning with growing consumer preference for responsibly packaged food. 

Strengthen your tomato preparations portfolio with Tetra Recart

Achieve success in the competitive tomato preparations market with Tetra Recart for tomato preparations. Our complete offering helps you turn category opportunities into commercially ready products that address expectations on convenience, quality and packaging performance. Distinctive carton design ensures strong visibility on shelf and in digital channels.

Tomato innovation grounded in insight

Explore new directions for tomato products through collaborative sessions at our Customer Innovation Centre, combining market intelligence with hands-on concept design. Together we define opportunities ready for decision-making speed and lower development risk.

Explore our Customer Innovation Centre⁠
Cooking packed tomato products

Develop and validate recipes with our experts

Work with experienced food technologists at our Food Development Centre to fine-tune tomato recipes and run pilot-scale production under real processing parameters, shortening the path from initial idea to commercial readiness. Or borrow a mobile test unit and do the work at your place.

Discover the Food Development Centre⁠
Tetra recart cartons low impact

Create brand impact in every channel

Use the six printable surfaces of Tetra Recart to communicate origin, usage and quality credentials clearly. Continuous designs across packs create a strong billboard effect in store, while distinctive carton graphics help your tomato preparations range stand out in digital channels.

Deep dive into package design⁠

Optimise your tomato preparations production with Tetra Recart

Shift or expand your tomato operations into Tetra Recart packaging solutions with highly automated, space-efficient lines and integrated processing know-how. From recipe handling to filling and retorting, we help you realise reliable performance and attractive total cost of ownership compared with cans and jars.

Tetra recart tomatoes production line

Choose the right line for your growth goals

For high-volume tomato products, the Tetra Pak® R1 line delivers fully automated, high-speed performance. When flexibility is key, the Tetra Pak® R2 line handles all Tetra Recart sizes efficiently, supporting agile production and smooth changeovers to match market demand. 

Find out more about Tetra Recart lines⁠
Food products in tetra recart

Leverage our expertise in tomato preparations

Our specialists at the Food Development Centre understand the thermal requirements and product behaviours specific to tomato preparations. We help you configure processing, heat-treatment and filling parameters that protect quality and safety, from pilot trials to full-scale production.

Get access to food development specialists⁠
Tetra recart and cans

Drive logistics efficiency across the supply chain

Empty Tetra Recart packs arrive flat, reducing inbound storage space and handling demands. Once filled, their rectangular shape enables more units per pallet than cans in many configurations1, helping lower transport cost per unit and associated emissions.

Is your tomato production built for what’s next?

Producing tomato preparations in Tetra Recart helps build efficiency and flexibility across operations. By combining advanced packaging systems with targeted service support, you can keep improving line performance, adapt to new recipes or formulations and optimise resource use from plant to shelf – strengthening margins and readiness for evolving market demands.

Fresh tomatoes service offerings

Stay agile as your tomato production evolves

When recipes or consumer preferences shift, we help you respond efficiently. Tetra Recart lines and specialist services support process adjustments and incremental upgrades, while performance programmes focus on minimising waste and utilities. Through Tetra Pak® Advanced Agreements and tailored maintenance strategies, you can secure uptime, manage cost and build resilience for the long term.

Find out more about Tetra Pak  Advanced Agreements⁠
Crushed tomatoes

Reduce carbon emissions and boost sustainability credentials

Comparative life-cycle assessments show that, for defined sizes and markets, Tetra Recart cartons can have lower CO₂ emissions than alternative packaging formats.2 Using FSC™-certified paperboard3 from responsibly managed forests and other controlled sources, together with efficient transport and storage, helps address consumer expectations for packaging with verified environmental performance. 

Find your route to compete and grow in tomato preparations

Whether you are a co-packer, brand owner or private-label retailer, the Tetra Recart packaging solution offers flexible ways to bring shelf-stable tomato products to market. You can invest in dedicated lines, collaborate with manufacturing partners or combine both approaches to balance speed, risk and capital while building long-term competitiveness.

Tomato products transparent cartons

Co-packers: attract future-ready business

Expand your service portfolio by adding Tetra Recart. This game-changing, paper-based carton format helps you win new contracts from brands and retailers seeking alternatives to cans and jars. Flexible lines support multiple recipes and quicker changeovers, enabling you to serve diverse customer needs efficiently.

Tetra Recart for co-packers⁠
Holding tetra recart carton

Brand owners: de-risk the move beyond cans

Enter Tetra Recart step-by-step – from pilot runs with established co-packers to full-scale in-house production when volumes justify investment. Our support across recipe development, line design and start-up helps you manage risk, accelerate launches and differentiate your tomato portfolio with responsive packaging innovation.

Tetra Recart for brand owners⁠
Woman shopping pet food

Private-label retailers: drive visibility and value

Launch tomato products that combine strong value with a contemporary look and feel.Grow shopper loyalty and brand perceptionwith packaging that signals quality, aligns with sustainability goals and stands out clearly online and in-store. With our expertise in design and production, you can deliver premium appeal while protecting profitability.

Tetra Recart for retailers⁠

Explore what else Tetra Recart can do

Tetra Recart is not only a strong fit for tomato preparations – it is proven across a range of shelf‑stable foods. Discover how the same paper‑based, space‑efficient format can add value in other food categories.

Tomato preparations

While tomato preparations as a category is growing, so are the demands placed on producers – from consumers wanting food innovation and better value to the need to handle wide quality variations in raw tomato pastes. Our tomato processing solutions help you standardise raw tomato paste, which enables cost-effective, flexible procurement and ensures production efficiency and consistent quality worldwide. And when it comes to food packaging, we have the innovative  packaging solutions to pack a range of tomato products.

See more about tomato manufacturing, our Tetra Pak tomato processing and packaging below.

Processing lines for tomato preparations

Tetra Victenso Continuous line for tomato products

Best-practice continuous line

This line handles production of smooth to small particulate tomato and chilli sauces and pastes. It allows you to produce a broad range of tomato preparations – natural products with more tomato content, less sugar, and fewer additives – that taste natural and homemade. The recipe-specific shear rate in mixing and optimized heat-treatment achieves the desired product characteristics. Our line enables safe production with exceptional quality and efficiency.
Explore Best-practice lines for tomato preparations⁠
Tetra Victenso continuous particulate line for tomato products

Best-practice continuous particulate line

This line handles particles up to Ø25 mm with excellent particle integrity. It allows you to produce a greater variety of tomato preparations that taste natural and homemade – from smooth to chunky and with more tomato content, less sugar and fewer additives. The recipe-specific shear rate in mixing, gentle blending of particles and optimized temperature program achieves the desired product characteristics. Our line enables safe production with exceptional versatility, quality and efficiency.
Explore Best-practice lines for tomato preparations⁠
Tetra Victenso batch line for tomato products

Best-practice batch line

This line handles smooth to small particulate products. It allows you to produce a greater variety of products, from smooth sauces to crushed or diced component sauces. It enables batch production with a stand-alone processor capable of cooking with direct or indirect heating and cooling. It also enables texturization of tomato products for particle standardization while enabling incorporation small particles, such as cubes and chilli flakes. The recipe-specific shear rate in mixing, gentle blending of particles and optimal heat treatment achieves the desired product characteristics. Our line enables production with exceptional quality and efficiency.
Explore Best-practice lines for tomato preparations⁠
Tetra Victenso batch particulate line for tomato products

Best-practice batch particulate line​

This line handles particles up to Ø25 mm with excellent particle integrity. It allows you to produce a greater variety of products with excellent texture – from smooth passata to crushed or chunky component products, such as salsa – that taste natural and homemade. Gentle processing prevents the breakdown of particle shape and maintains even distribution. The recipe-specific shear rate in mixing, gentle blending of particles and optimal heat treatment achieves the desired product characteristics. Our line enables production with exceptional versatility, quality and efficiency.​
Explore Best-practice lines for tomato preparations⁠

Processing equipment for tomato preparations

Tetra Pak High Shear Mixers

Tetra Pak® High Shear Mixers

Tetra Pak® High Shear Mixers

Our high shear mixers is a complete mixing solution solving any problem of lumping or fat separation to produce a homogeneous product.
Learn more about the Tetra Pak High Shear Mixers⁠
Tetra Pak Indirect UHT unit PFF with tubular heat exchanger

Tetra Pak® Indirect UHT unit PFF

Tetra Pak® Indirect UHT unit PFF

A processing unit for highly efficient, continuous ultra-high temperature treatment of prepared food products.
Read more about Tetra Pak Indirect UHT unit PFF with tubular heat exchanger⁠
Tetra Pak HI tank for prepared food

Tetra Pak® HI tank

Tetra Pak® HI tank

The tank blends products, from smooth liquids to particulates up to 20mm. Its versatility makes it the ideal blending solution for various applications.
Learn more about Tetra Pak HI tank⁠
Tetra Pak Food Processor H

Tetra Pak® Food Processor

Tetra Pak® Food Processor

Tetra Pak Food Processor is your all-in-one solution for soups, ready meals, sauces, and desserts, ensuring every batch meets your expectations.
Learn more about Tetra Pak Food Processor⁠
​​​​​Tetra Pak Aseptic Tank

Tetra Pak® Aseptic Tank for intermediate storage

Tetra Pak® Aseptic Tank for intermediate storage

Tetra Pak® Aseptic Tank is a fully automated unit used for the buffering (intermediate storage) of liquid food products under aseptic conditions.
Learn more about Tetra Pak Aseptic Tank for intermediate storage⁠
Tetra Pak Indirect UHT unit PFF with coiled heat exchanger

Tetra Pak® Indirect UHT unit PFF

Tetra Pak® Indirect UHT unit PFF

Continuous, gentle indirect UHT treatment unit with coiled heat exchanger for high viscous products, with or without particles.
Learn more about Tetra Pak Indirect UHT unit PFF⁠
Tomato next to jar of tomato sauce

Fine-tuning the homogenizer for better tomatoes

Even the most reliable homogenizer can deliver more. Small pressure or positioning adjustments can improve colour, mouthfeel and stability while lowering energy use. Discover how expert fine-tuning helps producers raise quality, cut cost and achieve clean label products in tomato processing. 

Get the insights in the full article⁠
Ketchup effect infographic

The secret sauce: how ketchup is improved by homogenization

Homogenization does more than mix tomato ketchup – it drives colour, texture and stability improvements. Learn how the right pressure range (50–200 bar) and equipment setup can prevent watering-off, boost lycopene release and enhance overall product quality.

Download the infographic to explore more⁠
Tomato on yellow cutting board

Two-stage tomato homogenization cuts wear and cost

Tomato products are abrasive, causing significant wear on homogenizers. Learn how a second homogenization stage keeps cavitation under control, extends wear-part lifetime by up to 20% and reduces vibrations that can damage downstream equipment – cutting maintenance and total cost of ownership.

Find out more in the full article⁠
Tomato Juice Glass

Best-practice tomato lines that maximise quality and efficiency

Tetra Pak best-practice lines for tomato production deliver high versatility and consistent product quality. Designed for smooth or particulate sauces and pastes – including chilli products – these lines ensure safe, efficient processing with maximum operational efficiency and guaranteed performance.

Explore our best-practice lines⁠

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1. 12% more 390ml packages, and up to 50% more 100ml packages on each pallet and truck. Based on internal simulations comparing Tetra Recart to cans and jars of equivalent sizes.

2. Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of  Tetra Pak® carton packages and alternative packaging systems for beverages and liquid food on the European market, 2020

3. The FSC licence code of Tetra Pak is FSC™ C014047 - Tetra Pak FSC™ Certificate