Apply now for the FRUIT LOGISTICA Innovation Award 2024

Rijk Zwaan won the FRUIT LOGISTICA Innovation Award (FLIA) 2023. Among the ten nominees the Tatayoyo pepper was the trade visitors’ favourite, winning with over a quarter of the votes. What does that mean for you and the actual product?

Receiving the FLIA is like winning an Oscar. It is the world’s most prestigious award for the international fresh produce industry, and it means a lot to us. It is also a huge recognition of our research & development department who spent many years working on the right composition for this new pepper variety.

For all those who were unable to try out the Tatayoyo pepper at FRUIT LOGISTICA 2023, what is special about it?

The Tatayoyo is based on a hot wild pepper we discovered more than ten years ago, and which we subsequently refined. Even then the flavour was fascinating. The result now is a pepper that is very intense and sweet, but also slightly tart and very aromatic. That is reflected in its biochemical components. The Tatayoyo pepper contains 19 volatiles, far more than other pepper varieties.

This is the third time Rijk Zwaan has won the FLIA. The first time was in 2006 with a Salanova salad which you have continued to refine. What effect have these awards had on your company?

When you win the FLIA you draw huge attention to yourself from around the world. In the case of the Tatayoyo pepper we immediately received numerous inquiries from customers wanting to test the seeds in various countries.

Products submitted for the FLIA must already be on sale. Do you pick already successful products, or did success come after your presentation at FRUIT LOGISTICA?

That’s actually not any easy decision. On the one hand you have to demonstrate your ability to successfully market an innovative new product, on the other hand a genuine market breakthrough normally takes much longer than one year. So yes, the FLIA is a great boost for achieving success.

What are your criteria for entering products for the FLIA?

Firstly, we always pick genuine innovations, products that really bring something new to the market. And secondly, we believe it is important to put the interests of the consumer first and offer them real added value. Salanova, KNOX and Tatayoyo, our three FLIA winners, were developed with that goal in mind. In the meantime we have refined our entire salad range to include the characteristics of Salanova (lots of small leaves, one-cut and ready), and KNOX (delayed pinking where it is cut).

Are you entering another innovation for the FLIA 2024?

That remains our secret …

How to apply

Please note: in addition to the FLIA award, 2024 will for the first time witness the presentation of an FLIA Technology prize for outstanding innovations in machinery and technology. The jury will nominate five finalists in each award category.

The trade visitors at FRUIT LOGISTICA will decide on the winners. At FRUIT LOGISTICA the ten nominees will be represented in two display areas – in the passageway between Halls 20 and 21 and in the courtyard between Halls 1.1 and 2.1. All trade visitors will receive a voting card which they can use to mark their choice in each of the two award categories. There will also be tours of the stands of the FLIA Technology nominees. The awards ceremony will take place on 9 February at 2:30 p.m. in the courtyard between Halls 1.1 and 2.1.

The deadline for entries is 17 November 2023. Each company may submit only one innovation. The product must have been traded or been available between 1 November 2022 and 31 October 2023.

Full details can be found on the FLIA website. We wish you every success!