"Just do it": Apply now for the FRUIT LOGISTICA Innovation Award

The FLIA Technology was introduced at FRUIT LOGISTICA 2024 to separately recognise innovations in the Machinery & Technology category. At the launch event, the jury and audience chose Koppert from the Netherlands as the winner for its innovative Mirical Tray packaging concept. Instead of in plastic, Koppert supplies Mirical predatory bugs, a natural form of pest control, on corrugated cardboard strips and a cardboard tray, which are both attached directly to the plants.

At first glance, your innovation looks like only a small change, but one with a big impact on protecting the environment and optimising pest control. How did Koppert come up with the idea?

Tim Bossinga: Mirical is an essential natural predator in biological pest control. To stay ahead of the market as an innovator we felt we had to upgrade the Mirical product. With the increasing problem of finding enough labourers who want to work in horticulture, we wanted to support growers here by making it easier and faster to introduce and increase the success rate of establishing a Mirical population in their crops. So it was time to go the extra mile and rethink the packaging as a whole.

What was challenging about this innovation?

Changing the packaging may look easy, but in reality it was anything but. Nature doesn’t easily stick to the rules of a newly designed packaging line. These are sensitive organisms. Despite having a lot experience packaging living organisms in containers such as bottles, getting them fresh and healthy onto the cardboard trays was a completely new challenge. We hope we can make use of the lessons learned for future improvements and products.

After all this effort, what does the FLIA Technology mean for your company?

The award was a big recognition of our R&D and Production team efforts to further improve the performance of this cornerstone of pest control, particularly in tomato crops. And it was a great opportunity to help introduce our product – with the recognition of independent judges, being the audience. Customers already using our Mirical Tray were pleased to be part of this success. The resulting publicity naturally increased interest in the product, including from those who were initially reluctant to try it out.

What would your advice be for companies thinking about entering the FLIA Technology?

Just do it. The customers and audience will be the judges. They will honour the innovations and decide who wins the FLIA Technology 2025.

Applications are open until 15 November 2024

Are you an exhibitor at FRUIT LOGISTICA and would like to win the fruit and vegetable trade’s most prestigious award? Then submit your application for the FLIA or FLIA Technology. A jury will select and nominate the five best innovations in each category, which will subsequently be presented to

• over 66,000 trade visitors at FRUIT LOGISTICA,
• over 300,000 visitors to the FRUIT LOGISTICA website,
• over 100,000 followers on the social media channels of FRUIT LOGISTICA
• and international dailies and trade publications.

Apply now