DiMare, who served on the University of Miami Board of Trustees for 18 years, became the largest grower of fresh-market tomatoes in the nation, earning the affectionate nickname “Mr. Tomato.” He was one of the University of Miami’s most ardent supporters.
The seeds of Paul J. DiMare’s brilliant career as a successful farmer and businessman were sowed nearly 95 years ago on the streets of Boston. Back then, his father and two uncles sold fresh vegetables from a pushcart in Haymarket Square, growing their small venture into a lucrative repacking plant for tomatoes, vegetables, and nuts.
That repacking plant was located across from the Boston Terminal Market, and every day after school, when DiMare was 10, he would catch a trolley to the facility.
