Tomato growers from all over the world can sample a range of 40 to 50 different varieties showcased in Hazera’s new demonstration centre which has just officially opened in the Netherlands.
Speaking with PBUK, product manager for Hazera’s tomato range, Yaron Giras, explains how he expects producers and international retailers to investigate the varieties grown in the 1,000 square feet centre in Bleiswijk.
“We are demonstrating our new range of tomatoes for glasshouses including on the
vine, some beef, cluster, loose, snack tomatoes and some speciality like cherry tomatoes as well as different colours, especially orange and yellow,” he says.
“These varieties of tomatoes have worldwide appeal and have been adapted to these glasshouse conditions and are what we call “high tech tomatoes”.
“The centre allows us to demonstrate our range of tomatoes to growers of high tech tomatoes who are coming mainly from Western Europe but also from America, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Japan, China, all over Russia, the Ukraine, and Poland.”
The vegetable seed specialists operates multiple global tomato programmes. This latest demonstration centre officially opened on May 12 and is now scheduling appointments.
Seven years ago Hazera started a specialised breeding programme for high-tech tomatoes with the most promising varieties grown and presented at the company’s partner, Delphy Improvement Centre where the demonstration centre is located.
Giras says the trends towards taste continues to dominate the category as well as demand for specialty coloured varieties.
“We are also showing our products to supermarket chains all over Europe and some tomato buyers are coming from Canada and the US, including Costco and Walmart and other big chains,” he adds.
“Aside from the special products, we also offer what we call our commodity range of tomatoes so we do both categories. Over the last few years we have been concentrating mainly on taste and appearance as well as quality, but taste is our goal right now.
“People are looking for and willing to pay for tasty tomatoes, taste is a much more important factor now than in the past. It’s not only the price, people are also looking for diversity; different types of tomatoes, a full range of colours that can that really brighten up a salad. Also they want plums and cherries with high flavours.
“These are the kinds of things we will be concentrating on in the coming years.”
Hazera will actively engage with visitors, evaluate their needs, assist with variety selection and provide guidance and support to help maximise crop potential.
