Bellaverde, the sweet-tasting long-stemmed broccoli, is launching into supermarkets across the country from next week, backed by a PR campaign featuring celebrity chef Gino D’Acampo.
Bellaverde has been specially developed by seed breeder Seminis and Lincolnshire-based grower group Marshalls to tap into consumer demand for a less bitter-tasting broccoli.
Bellaverde has a long UK season and Marshalls will be harvesting the crop from one dedicated farm in Lincolnshire from July right through until the end of November. Production will then switch to a dedicated farm in Spain to ensure year-round supply.
Catriona Mowbray, marketing manager for Marshalls, which is growing, packing, distributing and marketing the product, said: “Bellaverde is a traditional broccoli and so, like other traditional types, is healthy; the king of superfoods. Consumers preferred the taste of Bellaverde to other long-stemmed broccoli in our preference testing and sensory research, so we believe it has great potential.”
Because of its vibrant green colour, it was decided to brand the product Bellaverde, which means “beautiful green” in Italian. The shoots are hand picked after 10 days of growth and have a delicate and sweet taste.
Available in 200g punnets, Bellaverde will initially be sold in Sainsbury’s and will then be rolled out to other supermarkets.
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