Seed farmer Harmoniz on the importance of innovation at every stage of the supply chain

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Researchers are currently accelerating the discovery of genes for crop breeding in the search for a more resilient food system. Israeli global greenhouse seed developer Harmoniz, however, is combining traditional farming methods with advanced molecular tagging technologies to grow tomatoes faster and more efficiently and which, more importantly, are a pleasure to eat.

Ofer Ben Zvi, CEO of Harmoniz

The company is the result of the complete merger of seed breeder TomatoTech, a seed breeding company, and Nirit Seeds, which develops hybrid vegetable seeds.

The rebranded company is looking to leverage the company’s molecular biology and breeding technologies to create tomatoes that people love to consume and farmers love to grow, explained Ofer Ben Zvi, CEO of Harmoniz. The company is focused on creating innovative, tasty and virus-resistant tomatoes, he told FoodNavigator, using the latest ag-tech innovation. The development of tomato varieties has evolved over the years, Zvi explained. Farmers around the world tend to see their goal as improving the profitability of growers. As a result, breeding efforts focus on increasing yields, promoting resistance to pathogens, and improving adaptation to different growing conditions.

Harmoniz, however, believes breeders should be concerned about the profitability of each stage of the tomato supply chain, he said. They should work to improve product qualities such as flavour, nutritional value, freshness and appeal. They should also address the problem of transporting tomatoes from farm to consumer. Yet few players on the market today see such problems as a priority, he lamented. There are challenges to solve beyond yield, pathogen resistance, and maturity. Validity period, for example. We are working hard to address all these agronomic breeding challenges without ignoring the post-harvest ones.

The Harmoniz breeding team creates its new strains using classic breeding technologies and does not rely on GMOs, genetic modifications or CRISPR processes. Instead, it uses DNA markers for specific traits and fingerprint markers for line selection, resulting in a faster and more accurate breeding process and shorter time to market.

Traditional breeding programs are based on a process of population building and repetitive selection carried out year after year, Zvi continued. Once the product profile is defined, the breeding program is planned accordingly. By combining traditional breeding methods with advanced molecular tagging technologies, we can make this process faster and more efficient.

As part of our efforts, we are developing tools and techniques to improve the freshness and flavor of tomatoes. First, we use taste panels to identify a good product. We try to focus on what makes a great tomato, for example, on the German or Dutch market. We could conclude that such and such is a “wow” flavor. We then go back to the breeding process, determining via DNA markers and other techniques how flavor relates to specific genes, and that’s the layer we add.

The approach also aims to solve a problem sometimes overlooked by scientists intent on accelerating precision farming technologies. People aren’t eating enough greens, said Zvi, who hopes the company’s solutions will see a significant increase in fresh produce consumption especially in Northern Europe and North America. We are working hard to improve the consumer experience of our product. We want people to enjoy eating tomatoes, in the belief that a better food experience will serve the entire industry. It will improve people’s diet and bring benefits to everyone. If, on the other hand, we offer an ugly and tasteless product, the consumer will choose something else.

“Most people prefer taste over health benefits. We want to bring back a world where people enjoy vegetables. We want to develop products that farmers love to grow and people love to eat. We need to address both goals; one is not enough. If we focus only on the consumer, the grower cannot afford it. If we focus only on the grower, often the product looks or feels bad. So we care about both ends of the chain. Developing a single flavor wow makes the entire ecosystem sustainable.

Expansion in the development of pepper and cucumber seeds

The company is currently building relationships with large retailers in Europe and is also looking to expand its expertise in pepper and cucumber seed development.

At the end of the day, we make food and the food has to taste good, the CEO stressed. We want people to come back to us for affordable, healthy, delicious and appealing food. Any plant product should be a product that people appreciate. Our teams are working hard on improved varieties of peppers and cucumbers which, as mentioned, will be easy to grow and pleasant to eat.

We produce food, not in a factory but in nature. We believe food should be tasty, appealing to consumers, and profitable across the entire value chain. This is important for growers, retailers and consumers. We aim to benefit all stakeholders by providing delicious food. Food should be appetizing and tasty enough to buy again.”

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