I assume it is an F1 hybrid, difficult to breed and therefore expensive. The upside of F1 seed is that it is very uniform and reliable.

It is also apparently a fairly new variety, which are always more expensive than older varieties, for which mass production is well established--and patents have run out!

It is certainly a F1 hybrid, but I could have sworn it had been around ever since F1's first became available. There are far better tasting outdoor tomatoes available too.

I should probably be learning something. I thought it was new because it is resistant to tobacco mosaic virus and cladosporium, which I thought were relatively recent developments.