14 March 2024, USA: Salad Savoy Corporation is the Home of Color, Taste & Nutrition®. As the name suggests, brassicas are the lifeblood of this company based in Salinas, USA. CEO Seth Karm and his colleagues are real pioneers who grow and sell colourful Rijk Zwaan specials like Delaverde RZ, Vitaverde RZ and Gilverde RZ. “The colours bring out fun and creativity, as chefs can really design dishes that appeal to more senses than taste,” he says.
Seth considers it a true pleasure to grow and ship items that improve people’s lives, both in terms of their health and by providing food that brings joy to their plates. “The emergence of the ‘food as medicine’ movement in the last few years has really upped our profile in this arena. People want ‘functional nutrition’ in what they are consuming,” he explains. “The brassica family of veggies is really impactful in improving people’s diets. And the colours bring out fun and creativity, as chefs can design dishes that appeal to more senses than taste. They can make a statement on the plate.”
Turning ordinary meals into masterpieces
To stimulate that, Salad Savoy Corporation has brought unique brassica products to the market, primarily in the North-American foodservice industry, with appealing names like Lollipops™ and Steamin’ Greens®.
One the newest innovations is the Carnival® multi-colour cauliflower. Seth says that customers often can’t believe their eyes. “They ask us whether we dye the product. We explain that our colours are the result of years-long open pollination techniques. This green, purple and orange cauliflower can turn ordinary meals into extraordinary masterpieces, which is a plus for high-end restaurants looking to wow their customers,” he states.
Very adaptable for year-round production
Vitaverde RZ and Gilverde RZ are the green cauliflowers in this wow-factor mix. “Vitaverde RZ is a very adaptable green cauliflower for year-round production, and Gilverde RZ is an early component to complement Vitaverde RZ. Besides these green cauliflowers, we also grow two Rijk Zwaan Romanesco varieties: 26-701 RZ (Puntoverde RZ) is a nice choice for harvesting in the heat, and Delaverde RZ is a great winter option to fill the year-round Romanesco cycle.”
Botanical genius at work
Looking towards the ‘fresh future’, Seth regards having partners like Rijk Zwaan and distributor Select Seed of Arizona as a great gift. “They are interpreting what people are interested in, and developing the next great thing. I think that’s just botanical genius at work. Knowing when we can grow varieties with reliable success saves a fortune in lost revenues due to a potential crop failure. More colours and better pest resistances – that’s what we consider to be the future trends in brassicas.”
