Resistance and flavour or affordability and convenience? Tomato breeding company Hazera Seeds is engaging earlier with retailers to increase its consumer focus
Robbert Biemans, business development manager high tech tomato at Hazera Seeds in the Netherlands, believes that true tomato innovation starts by engaging every player in the chain – and that includes retailers, now more than ever.
“Historically, we’ve been really indirect with retailers,” he says. “Everything went via the grower. But we see retailers becoming more and more interested in innovation and in differentiating from each other, so they are more actively reaching out to the breeding companies.”
For Biemans, having the retailer on board is an essential piece of the puzzle. “You can do great from a breeding and a growing perspective, but if you are not fixing your place on the shelf, then all that money goes to waste,” he says. “So we want to engage with them earlier to make sure we’re also targeting right. You can have a great idea and we have a lot of tomato experts, but our thinking may differ from the data the supermarkets are gathering or the feedback they’re getting from their customers.”
Following the impact of ToBRFV, retailers are now more concerned about issues upstream in the supply chain. “At first, the virus was seen as a problem for producers,” says Biemans. “But when it started impacting supply, retailers really took notice. You can’t deliver when yields drop 30 per cent. That’s when they realised they needed to engage earlier.”
The main aim of the first resistant varieties was to stop the plants from dying, to ensure that the growers still had a business. Now, according to Biemans, varieties combining resistance and premium flavour are coming through.
“I think we are bringing convenience, health and affordability to millions across Europe and beyond, and now we are also looking at bringing resistance and flavour together in the premium segment,” he says.” Breeding isn’t something you do overnight, we’re always adapting. Heat tolerance, salt tolerance, better setting in extreme weather – these are the traits that will shape future-proof varieties.”
On the other hand, he says, the virus doesn’t really change what the consumer wants. “The consumer still wants to have either an affordable tomato or a great tasting tomato,” he explains. “Yes, flavour is important. But making tasty tomatoes only available to a select few doesn’t move the needle on public health. A cheap, decent-tasting tomato that millions can afford will do more good.”
