The seed company’s recently-launched Cleopatra celery variety leads the charge
Spanish seed company Tozer Ibérica has posted a 20 per cent increase in sales this year. The company said much of the growth was down to its good performance in the celery segment, which accounts for 40 per cent of its total sales.
Sales of Tozer’s recently launched celery variety, Cleopatra – a compact, slow-tapering celery that can be harvested up to two weeks earlier than other varieties – grew 600 per cent.
“Last year the sector already showed great interest in cultivating Cleopatra thanks to its high productivity,” said James Hatherill, Tozer’s European sales director.
Outside celery, Tozer said parsnips and coriander were amongst its best-selling products. This included Bolero, a newly launched variety of coriander with a dark leaf and homogeneous size and slow growth that makes it possible to cultivate it throughout the entire production cycle.
Tozer focuses efforts on continuing adapting its proven successful varieties to be able to withstand the increasingly high temperatures seen on the Iberian Peninsula each year. “We are constantly working to develop new varieties that require less water consumption and withstand high temperatures in the field,” Hatherill said.
“However, there are many factors involved in the process – it takes years to develop and launch a new variety.”
For the coming year, Tozer said it remains focused on strengthening its celery sales throughout Spain, especially in Murcia and the Levante area. In this latter region, the seed company also has high expectations for its varieties of pak choi, parsnip and cilantro.
In addition, it plans to step up promotions of its range of parsnip, coriander and rocket in the northern part of the country as well as increasing rocket sales in the southern part of Portugal, where Tozer varieties are gaining market share.
In order to showcase its new varieties, the seed house will hold a Tozer Days 2024 event at its testing field in El Albujón, Murcia, from 13-15 February. New offerings on display will include spinach and chard varieties coordinated with the Dutch Pop Vriend, as well as new celery, coriander, kale, rocket, leek and chive varieties.
