Category: Events

Hazera & HM.CLAUSE together at Fruit Logistica 2025 in Berlin, 5th to 7th February

Hazera and HM.CLAUSE, part of the Limagrain Group, will be present at Fruit Logistica from 5th to 7th February in Berlin. Michał Taraska and Manuel Ferrer, each leading the fresh chain approach for Hazera and HM.CLAUSE, will discuss their collaboration at their shared booth (A-50 in hall 1.2), highlighting innovative products and how collaboration strengthens the value chain.

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Innovative solutions for the fresh chain

Over three days, visitors will discover solutions derived from our well-matched product portfolios. Michał explains: “both companies will contribute their unique expertise and diverse offerings through our collaboration. This is further strengthened by our shared ambition: bringing fresh, healthy and sustainable vegetables to our partners worldwide.

As joint forces, HM.CLAUSE and Hazera will present a wide selection of products at Fruit Logistica, with a special focus on tomato and watermelon varieties. “The range of our combined assortment is one of our key strengths,” Manuel emphasizes.

Portfolio HM.Clause

“Our Oxheart tomato range, including Dossimo and Flamansun, offers a vibrant color spectrum from red flame and brown to yellow,” Manuel explains. “Intuitivo and Curioso are two cherry tomato varieties that boast ToBRFV resistance. The Freeman variety represents our mid-sized tomatoes, known for their delicious taste and suitability for six-pack packaging.”

Manuel also highlights HM.CLAUSE’s melon range: “With varieties like Piel de Sapo, Galia, and the Cormoran in cantaloupes, our portfolio at Fruit Logistica showcases excellent taste, shelf life, and fruit quality.”

Portfolio Hazera

For Michał and Hazera, the focus is on healthy snack tomato varieties, especially the mini plum tomato Windsor. “This variety excels in virus resistance, high yield, 21-day shelf life and a more sustainable production process,” Michael explains. “With the upcoming yellow cherry tomato HA 49040, the first yellow cherry with ToBRFV (IR) resistance, we upgrade on the Summersun, a proven market leader in taste. Our third healthy snack tomato is the Tentadero, an umami-rich cherry tomato with a distinctive green-to-brown colour.”

In watermelons, Hazera continues to drive innovation with varieties like Exotica, Lynx, the Exceed-range, or novelties Mufasa – tiger type. “These hand-sized seedless watermelons are available year-round, and are known for their exceptional flavour and long shelf life,” Michał adds.

A strong and full shelf partnership

The collaboration between HM.CLAUSE and Hazera is built on years of experience. “Both sides bring deep knowledge and expertise,” says Manuel. Having led the development of key projects like Adora for HM.CLAUSE and Rosamunda for Hazera tomatoes, Manuel and Michal ensure that clients receive more comprehensive solutions, personal attention, and better results.

We are looking forward to seeing you at Fruit Logistica.

Meet us at our booth: A-50 in hall 1.2

HAZERA: Growing Together
Hazera Seeds is a global company that develops, produces, and commercialize seed varieties and is a global leader in the seed industry. Hazera has headquarters in both the Netherlands and Israel and operates subsidiaries in 11 countries, together with a distribution network serving over 130 markets. Hazera is part of the Limagrain Group, an international farmers’ cooperative based in France. Limagrain has grown into the largest seed company in Europe, specializing in vegetables, field crops and cereals. The vegetable seed division at Limagrain is the largest in the industry.

“The demo fields are a great representation of what we have achieved as a team over the past period, and the challenges we have overcome” says Joost Botman, field team leader at Hazera in Warmenhuizen. He shares insights into his work, the crops in the demo fields, and the International Open Days on September 24-25-26.

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“It is rewarding to work outside and see actual results of your work at the end of the day” Joost shares. “These results depend on various factors, including weather conditions. It is a proud feeling when we, as a team manage to achieve the desired results, despite these challenges. This year for example, we managed to develop a diverse and healthy demo field, even after a very wet spring.”

Versatility in the field
Joost highlights key features of the demo field for the open days: “Hazera’s diverse cabbage range for all segments will be on display. We also managed to grow radishes on clay soil, which was a unique challenge. We thought: let’s just give it a try. And it worked!” The extensive crop selection, especially for cabbage, makes sense for Joost. “Warmenhuizen is the cabbage hub of the Netherlands. You can see the region’s expertise reflected in our team.” In addition, Hazera is part of a larger organization, Limagrain Group. “That means we work with lots of different crops and varieties as well, adding lots of variation to the job.”

Strong team, strong results
What Joost enjoys most about his job is the strong team spirit. Within the field crew, and within Hazera as a whole. “We are really in it together, working towards a common goal. There’s a lot of expertise among our people, the atmosphere is warm and pleasant, and we work in a great location. The demo field is proof that this combination can lead to excellent results.”

Curious about the work of Joost and his field team? Visit the Open Days in Warmenhuizen on September 24-25-26. For more information, check: www.hazera.com/opendays

The Growing Together international open days will take place in Israel on June 5-7. “It’s a unique opportunity to bring everybody together” says Veronica Derby, MarCom Manager at Hazera, and Haggai Breslauer, Sales Manager for Hazera Africa, who walk us through the event, sharing some exciting insights and highlights.

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“It basically is the biggest event we held in recent years”, Veronica says about the Growing Together International open days. “It will bring over 85 customers, partners, and distributors of Hazera together, coming all the way to Israel from Africa, the Balkan region, the Americas, and the CIS-region. But there’s also a part for local Israeli growers”. According to Haggai, the goal is “to display our latest products, strengthen our bonds with clients and partners, and exchange knowledge and priorities between all parties involved. And of course: to have fun!”

What is the main purpose of the event?

Haggai emphasizes that, as the title ‘Growing Together’ suggests, the event will not be one-sided. “It is just as important for our clients to meet us, as it is for us to meet them. Our goal is to improve and grow together. This means not just explaining what we are doing, but also why and how.” To achieve this target, everybody must be looking in the same direction. Veronica: “By coming together we can connect, exchange knowledge about different products and markets, and align our priorities.”

Haggai says this transfer of knowledge is especially relevant for upcoming markets like Africa. “We see ourselves as having a responsibility in developing the agricultural market, not just to sell our products”. Another important goal to Haggai is for clients to meet the people behind the crops. “We want to bring our researchers forward. There’s two sides to that coin: On one side, our researchers can hear from clients first-hand what their needs are. And on the other side, we get to show our clients the hard work our teams deliver and what it takes to breed a good variety.”

What can visitors expect?

“We want our customers to get to know us, just as much as we want to get to know them, therefore we will start off with a few presentations on topics like our R&D and process innovations, ToBRFV-project, and production challenges. Then there’s the touristic part, in which we travel to Jerusalem and show everyone our beautiful country. “The third part is our field day, in which some groups visit a local nursery, a commercial onion plot and our tomato greenhouse”, Haggai continues.

“And finally, on the last day of the event we will visit the main exhibition field where we display our products and come back to our Israeli HQ. This will include tours of our phytosanitary lab, our quality control germination and health labs,- as well as our in-house nursery”. For local growers, the Growing Together open days also form a great opportunity. Veronica: “For them, the event lasts 8 to 10 days, in which they can visit our development plot next to the exhibition where we present exciting new material that will soon be commercialized. However, from June 5-7 they have an extra nice opportunity, as they can be exposed to global activity.”

What excites you the most about the Open Days?

“To finally see all of our clients and partners face-to-face together again”, Haggai says. “It’s not often that we can get everybody from across the globe together for a professional event, for some clients it will even be the first time. So, this is a big deal for us. It gives us a chance to get everybody on the same page, strengthen relationships, share new products and developments, and learn from each other”. Haggai says he knows the visitors are very excited about the open days. “But believe me, so are we!”

Want to know more about our business?

Follow us on our social media channels to stay connected with our Hazera people! If you have any questions left, don’t hesitate to ask them via our contact page!

 

February 14. Yesterday was Valentine’s Day. The day you put your loved one in the spotlight. In this article we tell you a bit more about our much-loved chicory! What are the developments of chicory in Hazera? And what makes growing this vegetable so much fun? We give you the answers.

What exactly is chicory?

First, some background information. Chicory is originally a Belgian product. It is a relative of endive and is widely used in European cuisines, especially in Belgium, France and the Netherlands. It grows in dark, shady environments and has a mild, bitter taste. Chicory is often cooked and used in salads, soups and stews. It is rich in nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, and is often considered a healthy and nutritious vegetable

In conversation with a Hazera Hero!

Twelve years ago, Denis Desrumaux started working for Hazera. He has a background as a chicory grower and is now Crop Specialist Chicory. “When I started at Hazera, we had about 3% market share. Our first successes were mainly Platine and Zilia. By now we have been working for 10 years with our main varieties Topscore (semi-early variety) and Flexine (late variety). We now have an 85% market share in the Benelux. At this moment Maroline, Ecrine and Beguine are our early varieties, Topscore and Daufine and Laurine our middle varieties, Flexine and Djine our late varieties. With this fine portfolio of varieties, chicory growers can supply the market year round with the beautiful golden yellow tasty heads.

Explaining the process, with love!

Explaining the process is no problem for Denis: “Chicory is a biennial product. The first year, in May, the seeds are placed in the field and a taproot develops there. After 130 to 170 growing days in September, October, November and December, those taproots go out of the field and enter large coolers. Here they are frozen to -1.5 degrees and the following year they take out those taproots little by little. Then they are put onto trays or in the ground. Chicory from the ground is ground chicory and chicory from the trays with water is called Hydro chicory. The second year we take them out and have varieties for early, mid, and late season. This allows them to grow chicory year-round with taproots.

What makes being a chicory grower so much fun?

Denis: “The best thing about growing chicory is that it is a very specific crop that is technically very difficult. Not everyone can just dive into it. You have to work at least 3-4 years before you know how it works. That’s the fun part. We take our growers by the hand to get the best results. It’s a two-year crop, so renewal doesn’t come very quickly. You need two years to see if your product is adequate. This you want to see several years in a row. Especially if you come up with a and new product. Then you need at least 6-7 years before you can actually really break through. With other crops, it goes much faster.

And … what makes being a chicory grower for Hazera so much fun?

Denis: “Working with Hazera for farmers. We have a very strong, warm relationship with them. I like that. It’s always nice to work with people who know the market and of course also think about the long term.”

Want to know more about chicory? Then get in touch!

Want to be the first to see the next generation of the Israeli tomato and be impressed by the new variety portfolio of Hazera? Join us for a unique opportunity and meet our team for a deeper understanding of the quality, performance and potential of Hazera’s new varieties.

The exhibition in the Arava is the perfect opportunity to get a glimpse of the future of the Israeli tomato with “Rubicon”/ “Doria” – a new Saladette tomato variety that is suitable for picking in a cluster. The tomato is delicious, firm, has a long shelf life and excellent preservation on the plant, as well as a bright red and attractive fruit.

Rubicon (“Doria”): from the grower to our plate. Photograph: Ofer Hajub

In addition to “Rubicon”, Hazera- a world pioneer in the seed industry, will launch the “Yellow Whitney” – the heart tomato that made Israelis fall in love and is now available in red and yellow. The Yellow Whitney is the first yellow Midi Plum tomato of its kind – it is extremely tasty, has impressive yellow fruit, is very firm and crunchy and has a strong plant and a high yield.

 

 

 

 

Yellow Whitney. Photograph: Ofer Hajub

Come see and taste! Still young at heart, the queen of flavor, The “Maggie” tomato, is ringing in its first decade with a party! Maggie is known as a high-quality Israeli tomato, with a juicy green gel, which gives it a fine taste and rich aroma. Maggie is grown throughout the year nationwide in Israel among selected farmers only and packaged in a closed and marked package – and now with a new branding in honor of its 10-year celebration.

 

 

 

 

Maggie “the Taste” Tomato. Photograph: Ofer Hajub

At the exhibition, Hazera will launch new varieties of radishes: “Whitella” in white and “Purpella” in purple: round radishes for growing in open and closed areas, with impressive and strong colors, suitable for growing all year round with a high yield and excellent internal quality.

 

 

 

 

New radish varieties. Photograph: Hazera

Come and get an impression of a red, curly romaine lettuce: “Purple Heart“. Beyond the nutritional benefits of romaine lettuce, which is 5 times richer in vitamins than other types of lettuce, the variety “Purple Heart” is characterized as crunchy and extremely tasty and has a bright red color that penetrates deep into the leaf.

 

 

 

“Purple Heart”. Photograph: Hazera

Come and meet the team of Hazera at the Araba expo taking place on February 15 and 16 in Ein Hatzeva, Israel and join “Rubicon” /”Doria” on her fresh produce journey from the field, to the retailers, and straight to her kitchen!

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COVID changed the world as we know it! Want to know more on all the trends that are here to stay? And what to expect in the future. Experts Anneke Ammerlaan (Vision on Food), Cindy van Rijswick (Rabobank) and Wilco van den Berg (Fresh Produce Centre) look forward updating you. You can now watch our Talkshow!

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