Dole China and Syngenta To Release 2 Disney-Branded Tomato Varieties

On the afternoon of June 5, Dole China and Syngenta Group China met for an in-depth information exchange to explore opportunities relating to Syngenta’s Modern Agriculture Platform, including authorized planting, strategic crop planting, farms, technological services and digital agriculture. The two entities plan to ramp up their cooperation in the area of licensed planting, including under Syngenta’s MAP beSide program, which provides end-to-end quality control and traceability.

During the meeting, Dole China and Syngenta Group China signed an exclusive retail agreement for the distribution of two tomato varieties in China — Yoom and Nebula.

The Yoom tomato has a unique appearance, ranging from purplish to almost black in color depending on the amount of sunlight hours the fruit is exposed to. It is claimed to have a crisp, refreshing flavor with a great balance of sweet and tart while being rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. The amino acids naturally contained within the tomato reportedly combine with its own distinctive taste to produce a rich umami flavor. In February 2020, the Yoom tomato’s outstanding performance won it the Fruit Logistica Innovation Award in Berlin. Meanwhile, the Nebula tomato variety is reported to be fresh, sweet and full of flavor, with an average sugar content of over 10 degrees Brix.

The partnership has also signed an IP deal with Disney for this year, which will see the two tomato varieties distributed in packaging featuring two groups of well-loved Disney characters — “Mickey and friends” and “Disney princesses.” The brand-new packaging is scheduled to appear in Ole’ and City Super stores from July.

Syngenta Group China’s MAP and Digital Agriculture division reportedly held a meeting with the Syngenta Seeds business team in Shenzhen in November 2020 to discuss future partnerships. As a result, the participants established a “licensed growing” business model and approved four tomato varieties for planting, including the Yoom and Nebula varieties.

Yoom and Nebula tomatoes are currently being cultivated at the Beijing HortiPolaris planting base in the Miyun District of Beijing, and a Syngenta MAP authorized growing center has also been established at the same location. The tomato growers make use of natural food chain methods to control insect pests, which means that chemical pesticides are not necessary. China’s first trial batch of Yoom tomatoes made their debut at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai in early November 2020, and the variety first hit supermarket shelves in mid-November.

Images: Dole China (main image), Sinochem Group (body images)

This article was translated from Chinese. Read the original article.