FV Seleqt - part of Farmhouse International - has introduced the Crunchino® pointed pepper to a trio of retailers in Germany, Finland and Sweden this year. This pointed pepper, from breeder Eminent Seeds, will be grown commercially in the Netherlands for the first time this year and is available in orange, brown and olive green varieties. The product will be added to the Eminent range.
"With the Crunchino, we have a distinctive product in house, which is more attractive than the standard pointed pepper, especially in terms of flavour. The Crunchino®, as its name suggests, is nice and crunchy, making it great to eat on the go. Besides this snack application, it is also great for salads or on the barbecue," says product manager Norman van Domburg.
Winter production in Morocco
The Eminent Crunchino is being grown this year by SweetPoint grower firm Ton on an area of 1.3 hectares. "But the intention is to scale up production quickly, given the enthusiastic response from the market. This winter, we will also grow this pointed pepper in Morocco on a slightly larger acreage. Hopefully this will allow us to meet the year-round need," Norman says.
He sees a lot of potential for the new pointed pepper. "In the pepper shelf, there is much less variety than, say, tomatoes, so it is a nice addition for a relatively conservative category. Pointed peppers have already become a pretty big item in recent years and with the Crunchino we can also distinguish ourselves within this concept. Despite this variety being relatively thin-skinned, shelf life is excellent."
Superior Taste Award
"People who taste the Crunchino are immediately convinced. I saw it myself with my five-year-old son, who can definitely be a picky eater, but loved the Crunchino, so that was a clear indicator for me. The variety also won the Superior Taste Award last year, so that is some nice objective confirmation. The Crunchino also stands out in its nutritional values, which are higher than standard pointed peppers."
FV Seleqt sells the Eminent Crunchino in a mix pack with the three colours. "Personally, I like the brown and olive green ones best, but of course that's personal. I have high hopes for the concept. The area of pointed peppers has already grown considerably in recent years, and I expect us to take a substantial share with the Eminent Crunchino here."
For more information:
Norman van Domburg
FV Seleqt
ABC Westland 110
2685 DB Poeldijk
[email protected]
www.fvseleqt.farm
www.farmhouse-international.com