07 August 2024, Spain: Pendragon, our mini plum tomato, was developed in Almeria, Spain. With its enhanced shelf life, high yield, uniform shape and ToBRFV resistance, Pendragon is a remarkable advancement in the agricultural sector. Interestingly, ToBRFV began affecting Spain just as our tomato team was developing Pendragon, allowing Hazera to be inspired by nature and to respond swiftly to this new virus.
Pendragon offers several advantages such as its resistance to diseases, high yield potential, reduced labor, extended shelf life, minimal waste, and consistent high quality throughout the year, even in overwinter conditions. These benefits made Pendragon a promising choice for growers.
However, introducing Pendragon to the market was not without challenges. At that time, growers were accustomed to harvesting mini plum fruits at an early, green stage due to their limited post-harvest shelf life. The packing houses even had their machinery calibrated to sort greenish fruits, rejecting, and downgrading the quality of the more mature ones. These practices were a significant hurdle for Pendragon.
To address these challenges, the Hazera tomato team engaged directly with growers, teaching them how to harvest the variety. The team demonstrated the superior shelf-life capabilities of Pendragon both on the plant and post-harvest. These visits changed the growers’ perceptions, leading them to harvest the fruits at their ideal color. This also decreased the number of complaints growers made about losing quality quickly, having soft fruits with low shelf-life and cracking.
Once the growers were confident in Pendragons’ shelf life and the harvesting practices, extensive efforts were made to adjust the sourcing machinery in packing houses, ensuring mature fruits were correctly processed and not prematurely rejected. This collaborative approach and knowledge sharing let us grow together with our growers and ultimately led to a significant reduction in complaints from customers in Northern Europe.
“The growers adopted Pendragon on their farms very fast and within only two years of sales, it became one of the most grown varieties in Almeria. This is due to the Pendragon’s huge agronomical advantages over competition and its positive reception at both retail and consumer levels.” ~Alfredo Mesa, Tomato Product Manager at Hazera Spain.
Pendragon has made an impact on the industry, delivering benefits at every stage of the supply chain. The growers benefit from higher yields and reduced labor costs. Retailers benefit from waste reduction, thanks to the long post-harvest life and resistance to cracking. And consumers can enjoy high-quality fruits with excellent taste and crunchiness, as the fruit matures naturally on the plant rather than during transportation.
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