A few days ago, researchers at Rutgers University’s research farm in Pittstown, New Jersey, presented their new treasure. It’s called “Scarlet Sunrise,” a bright, two-color grape tomato with a golden hue and a soft red blush. More than ten years of work went into Scarlet Sunrise, but apparently, the effort was worth it. A small crowd gathered to get a first taste of a new tomato and according to reports, it’s one of the tastier cultivars out there.
Ten Years For a Tomato
The story of Scarlet Sunrise begins in 2012, when Rutgers researchers Peter Nitzsche and Tom Orton set out to create a new kind of grape tomato. They wanted a tomato that would stand out in taste, color, and durability. They weren’t starting from scratch. Instead, they looked to the past for inspiration.
The two parent tomatoes couldn’t have been more different: one was a reliable red grape tomato prized for its firm texture; the other was a bicolor heirloom, bursting with flavor but prone to splitting on the vine. Melding these qualities wasn’t easy. Red is a dominant trait in tomatoes, so generation after generation came out plain red—beautiful, but bland.
“We saw potential in both,” said Nitzsche, an associate professor and agricultural agent with Rutgers Cooperative Extension. “So, we crossed them, hoping to combine the firmness of the grape with the flavor and color of the bicolor.”
To steer the process, the researchers relied on backcrossing, a method of reintroducing desired traits by repeatedly crossing hybrids with one of the parent lines. It’s a slow and meticulous technique.
“The flowers of grape and cherry tomatoes are so small and fragile … they just disintegrate,” Orton told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “It is delicate work. I wish I was trained as a surgeon.”
Using tiny tweezers and paintbrushes, Orton and Nitzsche pollinated plants by hand. Then they waited for flowers, fruit, seeds, and seedlings. And they did it all over again. Year after year.
A New Player Joined the Game
Their patience paid off. Scarlet Sunrise is firm, crack-resistant, and ready to harvest in just 70 days. It also bursts with what Nitzsche calls “a balance of sugar and acid,” making it perfect for snacking.
“It’s yellowish with a reddish blush,” he said. “One of our colleagues looked at it and said, ‘That looks like a sunrise,’ and the name stuck.”
In a tomato market dominated by industrial farms in California and Mexico, New Jersey growers face stiff competition. But what they don’t always have in scale, they make up for in taste.
“We’ve always tried to focus on flavor as the competitive advantage for New Jersey growers,” Nitzsche said. “It doesn’t have to be perfect-looking. It just has to taste great.”
And this one does. At a recent tasting event hosted by Rutgers on August 27, local tomato lovers lined up to sample the fruits of the university’s labor. Journalist Matt Cortina from NorthJersey.com went back for “seconds and thirds,” praising its bold taste and snappy texture.
Bringing Scarlet Sunrise to Your Plate
Rutgers is now preparing to release Scarlet Sunrise commercially. The university has secured plant-variety protection from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is actively seeking seed partnerships with growers.
“The hope is that some local growers will adopt it, and the seed will become available to growers, but then also gardeners, too,” Nitzsche told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “It’s probably always going to be a little bit of a specialty market and production.”
That rollout was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted global seed distribution in 2020—the year Scarlet Sunrise was originally scheduled to debut.
Even as they move forward, Nitzsche and Orton are still refining their creation. The current plants grow as tall as eight feet, which can be challenging in smaller gardens. New experiments aim to develop shorter, more manageable varieties without sacrificing flavor.
Scarlet Sunrise is the latest chapter in New Jersey’s rich tomato legacy. Back in the 1930s, Rutgers partnered with Campbell’s Soup Company—then based in Camden—to develop tomatoes for canning. Today, the university continues to innovate, but with a growing focus on specialty varieties that appeal directly to consumers.
Last year alone, New Jersey farmers grew 60 million pounds of tomatoes, worth over $36 million. That might pale in comparison to California’s output, but in terms of flavor, the Garden State is punching above its weight.
Rutgers researchers aren’t done yet. They’re already thinking about how to make the next version of Scarlet Sunrise easier to grow—whether it’s in a backyard garden or on a rooftop. They’re focused on improving the taste, texture, and color. And they’re still asking the same question: how do you make a better tomato?
