Month: January 2025

Bringing fresh, healthy and sustainable vegetables to our partners worldwide

Posted on Jan 16, 2025

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.

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.

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New collaboration: Innovative Tech for Monitoring Pollinators in Seed Production Fields

Posted on Jan 13, 2025

Hazera Seeds Ltd. and BeeHero Announce Collaboration to Evaluate Innovative Technology for Monitoring Pollinators in Seed Production Fields Around the Globe

The collaboration between Hazera and BeeHero will focus on BeeHero’s Pollination Insights Platform (PIP), whose aim is to provide farmers with precise information about pollination activity in seed fields

Tel Aviv, ISRAEL, January 15, 2025 – Hazera, a global vegetable seeds company and part of Limagrain Group’s vegetable seeds division, and BeeHero, the pioneer of data-driven precision pollination, announced a collaboration to evaluate BeeHero’s Pollination Insight Platform (PIP) for monitoring pollinators in seed production fields around the globe. This collaboration is the result of several years of joint efforts, including the use and evaluation of PIP in various seed fields.

According to Avi Gabai, Production Research Manager at Hazera, “As a leading company in the vegetable seed industry and part of the global Limagrain Group, we are excited to collaborate with a company specializing in precision pollination. Our ongoing collaboration with BeeHero since 2019 demonstrates that BeeHero’s technology can address one of the most critical challenges in modern agriculture – pollination. Our collaboration has shown that BeeHero’s technology can improve pollination efficiency, hive quality, and address the issue of bee colony loss.”

Efficient pollination is essential for seed production and agriculture in general, affecting yield and crop quality. Approximately 75% of major food crops depend on pollinators, with the honeybee being one of the most important pollinators in nature. The modern pollination industry, based on the transportation of beehives to fields during the pollination season, faces challenges such as declining bee populations and hive strength. Therefore, improving pollination efficiency is crucial to ensuring crop yield and quality. This is equally true for crops used in seed production, which have high economic value and strategic importance for human survival.

The Pollination Insights Platform (PIP) developed by BeeHero aims to ensure the pollination process and to provide real-time actionable information to farmers. This system includes IoT sensors installed in fields that collect various data on pollinator activity, the extent of flower visits where pollination occurs, and changing environmental conditions. This information is translated into actionable insights using artificial intelligence to improve pollination efficiency. Until now, this data was collected manually, partially, and inefficiently, so this solution can help farmers increase their overall productivity. The PIP system complements BeeHero’s in-hive sensors, enhancing their functionality.

The current collaboration between the two companies includes monitoring seed production fields in Israel and France, with plans to expand to additional regions in future seasons. The sensors installed in these fields measure bee activity, pollination distribution, bee behavior throughout the day, and other insights transmitted in real time to farmers, enabling them to maximize pollination capabilities in their fields – and consequently, the yield and quality of the seeds.

According to Omer Davidi, CEO and Co-Founder of BeeHero, “We are excited about our collaboration with Hazera, which combines extensive knowledge in seed production with advanced sensor technology and AI-based analytics to drive significant improvements in crop yield and quality while promoting sustainable agricultural practices. PIP allows for efficient pollination management for the first time, demonstrating how data and technology can advance an industry that has so far operated without measurement and transparency. We’re looking forward to continue working together with Hazera to optimize pollination for seed production and ensure the food supply for generations to come.”

Avi Gabai adds, “The heart of the collaboration lies in combining BeeHero’s technology with Hazera’s agricultural expertise. We support sustainable farming methods by improving bee health and ensuring more efficient resource use. Feedback we received from growers shows that data analysis from BeeHero’s system provided practical insights for beekeepers and farmers, and assisted them to optimize production methods and could potentially increase overall yield. By using BeeHero’s technology, we aim to increase seed yield and reduce yield volatility through remote monitoring of pollination activity.”

According to Gabai, “As part of the Limagrain Group, we promote innovative agricultural methods worldwide and implement them within the group. The collaboration with BeeHero represents a significant step forward in improving bee health, pollination efficiency, and advancing agricultural innovation.”

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Insights into Hazera’s High-Tech Tomato Breeding

Posted on Jan 10, 2025

Recently we welcomed our growers to the opening of our new High-Tech R&D tomato breeding greenhouse in Made, the Netherlands, to give them insights into the High-Tech program and how Hazera will refine its breeding techniques to accelerate the development of innovative tomato varieties that will meet evolving market needs.

Our dedicated High-Tech tomato experts are responsible for bringing these varieties to the market. Let’s talk to Bart Van Calenberge, Product Development Specialist for High-Tech Tomato at Hazera, about how we use the valuable insights from our growers to introduce hybrids into their greenhouses.

Bart embodies a collaborative spirit by conducting trials with our growers. “Our goal is to see how our hybrids perform across different environments,” he explains. “The genetics might be the same, but the final result is a combination of our seed technology and the unique growing conditions of each glasshouse”.

The Power of External Trials

For Hazera, conducting trials with growers is far more than a routine exercise. It is a critical process of mutual learning and continuous improvement. “We want growers to experience our pre-commercial varieties in their own environments,” Bart notes. “This gives them first-hand insight into the potential of our new varieties, while interactively discussing the specific requirements they are looking for, for their glasshouse which we can reconnect to our breeding program.”

Each trial location offers a unique lens through which Hazera can assess its varieties. Different climates, management techniques, and local conditions reveal nuanced insights that cannot be captured in controlled research environments.

Growers contribute practical expertise and real-world testing. “We are experts in breeding, and growers are experts in growing,” Bart emphasizes. “This collaboration allows us to critically evaluate our selection criteria and ensure we are meeting evolving market needs.”

In an ongoing  autumn trial, a grower provided crucial feedback on how our plant genetics reacted to their specific growing environment. Such interactions with growers directly inform Hazera on future breeding efforts as well as provide valuable insights to the grower on how to optimise the combination of our variety to perform in their specific growing environments.

Looking Beyond Yield

While productivity remains crucial, Hazera’s approach to variety development goes much deeper. Growers are increasingly seeking varieties that balance multiple traits: disease resistance, overall plant performance, labor and energy efficiency. “It’s not just about yield,” Bart explains. “We’re looking at comprehensive characteristics that make a variety truly valuable.”

In the greenhouse where this particular trial took place, rows of tomato plants tell a story of ongoing collaboration. They represent not just a potential crop, but a testament to Hazera’s dedication to innovation, partnership, and continuous improvement.

For more information contact our dedicated High-Tech Tomato Team.

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Meet the people behind the crops: Milan Zivkovic

Posted on Jan 02, 2025

At Hazera, our dedicated team works passionately to provide our growers with the best products. While our products often take center stage, it is the Hazera team that truly drives our success. Today, we shine the spotlight on Milan Zivkovic from Leskovac, Serbia.

Milan Zivkovic, Product Development Manager, lives in Serbia with his wife and two children. He graduated as an agronomist in 2009 and has been working in the vegetable seed industry since then, taking on roles in sales, product development, and area management. Milan has been a valued member of the Hazera team for almost three years.

What is a common myth about your field of expertise?
“I think, especially in the Balkans, Southeast Europe, a common myth is that working in agriculture is very hard, involving heavy physical work or tough conditions. That’s why youngsters don’t choose agriculture as a profession, but they should as it’s a rewarding work. As an agronomist, you can travel, learn extensively, and meet many people.”

In your opinion, what is the most important personality trait someone should have to work in your industry?
According to Milan, patience is crucial in his job. “You need to wait for results, particularly in product development, where it takes at least six months from sowing to harvesting and after that, it takes around three months to see the hybrids. So, first, it’s necessary to see how the varieties perform and only then make decisions based on the results. Precision, especially with timings, is also essential, because in agriculture if you miss something, you will need to wait another season.”

Tell us about a project you are proud of and why.
“Right when I started my journey at Hazera, I was ‘thrown into deep water’.” Laughs Milan. “By this, I mean that at that time we were organizing the open field days in Serbia. We had distributors from various countries in our region. For me, it was a fantastic start. It was a great opportunity to learn about our varieties, the market, and our customers. I’m proud of it, because I could contribute to the success of that event, even though I just started.”

What does Hazera growing together mean to you?
Milan says that “for me, growing together means two different things. One is professional growth as you can learn a lot from other colleagues and from the customers too. The other part is the growth of the company. Hazera is constantly investing in new ways and crops to stay on top of the market, and I think it’s a very good opportunity for our growers to grow together with us. Also, we’re solving a lot of problems for growers. For example, with ToBRFV, we started to introduce new varieties helping growers advance with us.”

Tell us something about yourself that most people do not know.
“I think that most people don’t know that I’m not just an agronomist, but also a farmer and vegetable grower. When we have visitors in our regions, they see that I’m also growing vegetables, and they are surprised to see my results.” Smiles Milan proudly. “One time, my six-year-old son helped me measure the sugar level of the watermelons I harvested, and he really liked the sweet taste of it. He said I have a cool job.”

Do you want to stay connected with our Hazera people?

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