Month: March 2025

Marshal: 30 Years and still an undeniable star!

Posted on Mar 25, 2025

Happy 30th birthday, Marshal! You are the pointed cabbage that has conquered the market with your fresh taste and quality.

At Hazera, everything is driven by our passion for innovation and our commitment to growers. We develop vegetable varieties that nourish communities and contribute to a strong and sustainable food system. The journey of Marshal, our groundbreaking pointed cabbage, is a testament to this dedication.

It all started with Duchy, the first pointed cabbage to make a significant impact in Western Europe. Developed in the 1980s, Duchy won the hearts of growers and consumers with its unique shape and natural sweetness, earning it the popular name “sweetheart cabbage.”

Growers saw the potential to extend Duchy’s availability and began storing it in cold storage, which extended the season by six weeks. This led to the need for a variety with even better storage qualities—one that would maintain its quality over a longer period. That’s when Marshal came into the picture.

Marshal was specifically developed to redefine the standard of storability. Unlike other varieties, Marshal retains its premium quality even after long storage. It has fewer yellow leaves, a firmer texture, and no black pepper spots. This breakthrough led to the creation of a new market segment: pointed cabbage designed for longer storage without compromising freshness or taste.

Our partners in the Netherlands contributed to Marshal’s success by using Controlled Atmosphere storage, where oxygen in the storage room is limited, and flowpacking techniques, which further extend its shelf life. Thanks to these innovations, Marshal became the retailer’s top choice, appreciated for both its consistency and quality.

“Marshal excels after Controlled Atmosphere storage; the lack of deterioration after opening the storage room is exceptional. Unlike other varieties that may show signs of wilting, yellowing, or loss of structure, Marshal maintains its fresh appearance, firm texture, and sweet taste, even after prolonged storage.” – Maarten Danenberg, Product Manager Cabbage and Brussels Sprouts.

Duchy laid the foundation, and Marshal has strengthened Hazera’s position in the pointed cabbage market. With the addition of Earl and Baron—varieties with improved plant health and better field performance—our portfolio continues to grow, offering tailored solutions for various markets.

Would you like to learn more about Marshal? Contact us!

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Roaring Success: Onza, a Mini seedless Watermelon with a Big Impact

Posted on Mar 12, 2025

Developing a triploid, seedless watermelon requires precision and expertise—especially when integrating new traits to meet the demands of growers, retailers, and consumers. Hazera’s breeding team has achieved a remarkable breakthrough with Onza, a next-generation tiger type mini seedless watermelon hybrid.

Onza embodies Hazera varieties’ core strengths and essential traits in crop resilience, high yield, and good shelf-life. Its ideal rind-to-flesh ratio ensures durability during shipping without compromising quality, while its deep red interior, long shelf life, and high brix content guarantee a sweet, flavorful experience.

“Onza is proving to be the first of our new generation mini tiger strip watermelons that shows wide adaptability for West Coast growers. It boasts high yields, excellent field holding capacity, impressive storage shelf life, uniformity, and exceptional internal qualities, which have growers and marketers raving. Watching the harvest crews’ line up Onza on the beds and seeing the line machines stop due to high yields stacking up the belts is a very impressive and prideful sight to see.” ~ says Barry Younkin, Western USA Sales Manager.

Thanks to its amazing adaptability, Onza has quickly gained traction in the US and Mexico markets, proving its value in challenging growing conditions. It delivers measurable benefits across the agricultural chain by reducing costs for growers, maximizing profitability for retailers, and ensuring satisfaction for consumers. At Hazera, innovation does not stop at breeding. Our Fresh Chain program fosters sustainable partnerships across the entire supply chain, from seed to shelf. By collaborating with growers, retailers, and other stakeholders, Hazera ensures that groundbreaking varieties like Onza meet market demands while raising industry standards for quality and sustainability.

Hazera’s long-term vision is to continue elevating watermelon quality and transportability while developing robust solutions for plant protection and yield stability. Through continuous product improvement, Hazera remains committed to advancing a healthier, more resilient food system and delivering optimal value across the agricultural chain.

Would you like to learn more about Onza? Contact us!

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Meet the people behind the crops: Malgorzata Zadura

Posted on Mar 06, 2025

At Hazera, we are proud of our dedicated team, which works passionately to provide our growers with the best products. While we tend to put our products in the headlines, it is the Hazera team who are behind our success. Let’s spotlight Malgorzata Zadura, Product Development Manager from Warsaw, Poland.

Malgorzata Zadura, a Product Development Manager, from Poland, studied horticulture and her whole working life has been connected to the seed business. Right after finishing her studies, she started working for different seed businesses in Poland, and 20 years ago, she joined the Hazera team.

What is a common myth about your job or field of expertise?
Malgorzata said, “when I explain to people that part of my job is to evaluate the new varieties and introduce them to a Polish market, they are surprised because they don’t know that there are so many different varieties on the market. I can understand that for consumers it is not very obvious, and they think that the variety they buy in the stores is the same as the ones from twenty years ago.”

In your opinion, what is the most important personality trait someone would need to be successful in your job?
“In my opinion, the most important thing is that you need to do what you like and what you are passionate about. Just like me.” Smiles Malgorzata. “Even though I do not come from a horticultural family, I knew I wanted to work in horticulture, so I studied it and have worked in this field my whole life. But as a personal trait, I would say it is essential to be able to adapt to different situations as this position requires a lot of travelling.”

Tell us about a project you are proud of and why.
“I am proud of our “Delikatesy Hazera” product line we created for the varieties with exquisite taste because we noticed that people want to have tasty varieties and vegetables. We know from our clients who sell in the small markets that our tasty varieties are more popular. So, we started this “Delikatesy Hazera” product line with our pink tomatoes which were the first ones in the Polish market. The project is becoming so popular that our tasty varieties, even if they’re not so firm, are introduced to the supermarkets as well. This success is also a result of the high involvement and effort of the marketing team.”

What does “Hazera- Growing Together” mean to you?
“For me, it means a lot as I have been working in Hazera for almost twenty years, and I have witnessed a lot of growth in the company. For example, when I started, there were only six people in the Polish team and now it is around twenty people. I can say that I also grew.” Malgorzata reminisced about the time she started at Hazera. “I started as a salesperson and moved to product development. In the beginning, I was only responsible for Hazera products and later I started to work with crops that I was not familiar with at all. Of course, I had to learn all about them, so I grew my knowledge and skillset too. Also, during my twenty years, I have been collaborating with growers, and I see them grow as well. Some growers that I knew from the beginning are still growing our varieties and have much more hectares than they had some years ago.

Tell us something about yourself most people do not know.
Malgorzata started with a laugh. “People do not know what my real name is, because when I introduce myself to someone for the first time, I use my official name, but usually I sign my emails using one of my nicknames, like Gośka, Gosia. So, many people think that another person is writing the email for me. I always have to explain that my name is Malgorzata, but I have nine different nicknames. Also, sometimes, when it is difficult for people to pronounce my name, they can call me in the English version of my name, which is Margaret. I find it funny.”

Click here to learn more about the Delikatesy Hazera product line in Poland.

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