One-bite cucumber became a great snack in the United States and Canada
Quatrino RZ. it is the first one-bite cucumber snack variety by Rijk Zwaan, vegetable breeding company in The Netherlands, that was introduced in 2017. The U.S. Mucci Farms, one of the first companies to adopt this thumb-sized cucumber, shared their impressions after years of cultivation.
Guy Totaro, Cucumber Grower Manager at Mucci Farms shared that the company began growing a one-bite variety, which they markets as CuteCumber Poppers™ in 2018. “Plant wise, it’s easy to grow with no issues and it’s similar to other crops in terms of maintenance. The flavour and texture are consistent with our current snack variety. The only challenge being the labour intensity due to the size of the product.”
The appeal of this award-winning product extensive and it is available at several major retailers in the United States and Canada. Danny Mucci, President of Sales & Marketing at Mucci Farms, said that over the years the company had a great relationship with Rijk Zwaan, they were happy to work with them, and added that one-bite is not only a healthy snack, it’s also great for appetizers at family get-togethers or parties. “We took a kid-centric approach, which has done exceptionally well, but parents and other adults can’t resist the snacking convenience either,” completed Mr Mucci.
In addition, the staff of Rijk Zwaan shared the background of this product, where it originated. “The one-bite was specially bred as an easy-to-grab snack,” said Gert-Jan Krook, Snack- and Mini-Cucumber Crop-coordinator. Rene Aarts, breeder of the company added: “In combination with promoting a more healthy way of life and snacking, we came up with the idea of making a cucumber so small that anybody can grab one and eat it on the go as you don't need to cut it. So, consumers can easily enjoy cucumbers as an in-between-meals snack any time of day.”
At the end, Gert-Jan Krook noted that North America is currently the biggest market for their Quatrino RZ variety. China is picking up on the healthy snacking trend and launching this product. South Africa and some European countries are also introducing one-bite.
Rijk Zwaan is one of the leading breeding companies in the world that fully focuses on vegetable seeds and offers a wide assortment within the sector.
For further informations about the company, visit their website.
Mucci Farms is one of the industry leaders with greenhouses in the United States and Cnada, equipped with world-class technology and a dedicated team of over 1200. Farms owns and operates over 250-acres of tomato, cucumber, pepper, lettuce, eggplant and strawberry greenhouses in Huron, Ohio and Kingsville, Ontario.
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