Harvesting innovation

In 2010, Vilmorin consolidated its position as leader on the Italian market for elongated tomatoes with the launch of a new hybrid: the Sir Elyan tomato. It is also called San Marzano and is one of the most typical tomatoes produced in Italy. Vilmorin has made a strong contribution to the development of a fresh market for this type of tomato, when historically it was most appreciated by processors as a tomato for peeling. Today, Sir Elyan represents 45% of the Italian market for elongated tomatoes, and is very successful with growers because of its multiple qualities. Its wide spectrum of resistance to pathogens and to physiological problems, such as apical necrosis, also known as blossom end rot, has extended its harvesting period and its presence on the markets. The Sir Elyan variety is the guarantee of a uniform high quality fruit associated with a high potential for yield. The hybrid Sir Elyan has helped Vilmorin to reinforce its image as an innovative player on the tomato market.

Consumer-dedicated technology

Who would have suspected that, when buying seed for your garden, the packet containing it has become a genuine “high-tech” tool over the course of the years ? Here are some explanations, using the example of Vilmorin Jardin.

* Organoleptic test - December 2010

In the spring of 2011, and in partnership with Suttons, Oxadis launched Vilmorin “Kids”, a range devoted to children so they can learn how to sow as they play. There are 6 kits for them to discover the different educational aspects of the garden, with the help of their parents: the different species, how shoots develop, the magic and creativity of flowers and vegetables, but above all nature, the rhythm of the seasons and global biodiversity. To celebrate the launch, in its historic store located in Paris, Quai de la Mégisserie, Vilmorin organized free educational workshops every Wednesday in March 2011.

Seoul F1 cauliflower
Breeders from Nickerson-Zwaan have created a cauliflower variety, Seoul F1, which perfectly meets the needs of industrialists.

Arkeos biscuit wheat

Especially rare are the wheat varieties appearing on the list of so-called biscuit wheat list of varieties recommended by the milling industry as being of superior quality. Arkeos, registered by Nickerson in the fall of 2010, belongs to this category.

Last April Jacquet launched a new product called PainGril', the latest in its range of pre-cooked breads.
Pre-cooked products are already featured in the Jacquet range, with the “Petite Fournée”. Despite their “useful” quality (often considered as an “emergency” solution) and even though they are highly appreciated for their taste, they have one significant drawback: consumers find baking times too long!
This is where “marketing innovation” comes in, bridging the gap between the consumer and “product technology” in order to solve the problem. How can the pre-cooked range evolve? Via a new cooking method? A special shape? By combining these two dimensions, the research team managed to develop, and in record time, a bread cooked in only 2 minutes in a conventional toaster.

Improver wheat varieties “made in Limagne”

New cereal ingredients from Waxy wheat

The technological qualities of flour from waxy wheat can be used to obtain product textures that are highly sought after for industrial applications.

Whitella F1 radish
Nickerson-Zwaan's breeders have created Whitella F1, the first hybrid round white radish. Its color is pure both on the outside and the inside of its root. Its fine taste has convinced consumers, while its agronomic qualities have won over growers.

westhove: LimaLin, an ingredient rich in omega 3

Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients has developed LimaLin, an ingredient that is naturally rich in omega 3, and made from wheat flour and brown flax flour.

Hybrid turnips: research at the service of French producers
HM-Clause recently launched a range of totally novel hybrids.

Clause's Cayman pepper
The new pepper variety Cayman is the “bell (sic) of the ball” in Australia when it comes to open field red peppers.

The Redlove® apple, deliciously beautiful

Since June 2010, Suttons has been selling the first delicious red-fleshed apple in the world. Crisp and juicy with a hint of berries, this apple is very rich in antioxidants and its resistance to scab is exceptional.

Wholemeal hamburger buns

In April 2010, Jacquet extended its range with wholemeal hamburger buns. These giant buns combine pleasure and nutrition with greater flavor and more fiber.

dafa: AbsoluteWHEAT, a nutritional concentrate

AbsoluteWHEAT can be used for all kinds of cereal applications: bakery products, biscuits, pastries, breakfast cereals, snacks, pasta, etc.

Crenoline, the witloof queen
In 2010, Vilmorin became leader on the French market for witloof, also known as Belgian endive or chicory. To a large extent this success is due to the variety Crenoline.

Winter rape: the growing share of hybrid varieties on the European market

The campaign for European sales of rapeseed for 2010/2011 was marked by the surge in the Group's new hybrid varieties. They now represent almost a quarter of total sales, compared with less than 10% for the previous campaign. The Artoga variety, which is mainly registered in the French and German catalogues, with the best performance indices in the two countries, is a perfect illustration of this evolution.

Vilmorin's auxiliary insects

Vilmorin proposes a 100% natural solution to fight against garden pests. Aphids, mealybugs, slugs, and white grubs had better watch out. The “auxiliary insects” line-up offers the gardener eight solutions for protection. Each pest has its own predator: ladybirds to fight against aphids, nematodes against white grubs and slugs, etc.

2010 looks like a very good year for the Saint Verny Winery

This autumn the Saint Verny Winery took the risk of waiting for its crops to reach a uniform level of maturity before harvesting. Its 180 ha of vineyards were harvested in only 13 days. 2010 looks like a very good year.

In France, LG 34.90, a prestigious variety from the south
The late grain corn variety LG 34.90 today stands out as a major variety on a technical and demanding market: the south of France. Noted for its yield potential during internal trials at Limagrain Europe, LG 34.90 has been sold in France for two years: with the top yield for grain in Arvalis trials in 2009, it has once again won acclaim in 2010.

Tomato resistances in Mexico and Japan
In 2008, Mikado Kyowa Seed created the variety Misora. This large round pink tomato contains nine genes of resistance to local disease, and is a boon to Japanese growers. 

Jacquet is launching a new line of waffles

Cave Saint-Verny, a good vintage

A new boutique to develop sales
The boutique plays an essential role for the Cave Saint-Verny in the distribution of its products, since a significant share of the company's sales is made here. So everyone was impatient for the opening of the new boutique.

HSV^® silage corn in Northern Europe
The constant aim for the LG brand, and certainly one of the keys to its success, is to help farm breeders to get more out of forage corn in the ration intended for dairy or meat cattle.

The first Vilmorin icebergs rise from the earth!
Lettuce is the largest market for seeds, and the Iceberg lettuce is a must-have.

Vilmorin's "Fleurir en..." line-up
For more than 260 years Vilmorin has been accompanying home gardeners in their vegetable and flower gardens. This year the brand proposed a new line-up of flower seeds for the mature market, “Fleurir en...”, an original range that was a true commercial success.

Farigel Wheat LV, the soluble flour
It is well-known that cereals have recommended nutritional characteristics in a balanced food diet. But incorporating them in drinks, milk desserts, stewed fruit dishes or other purees is not easy to achieve because of the resulting viscosity. Farigel Wheat LV, for Low Viscosity, makes it possible to introduce 5 to 15% without modifying the texture of the finished product.

“Carrément mie”, a loaf with no crust

With its product “Carrément mie”, Jacquet has launched a unique manufacturing process, no crust removal; in other words there is no need to remove the crust, and therefore less waste.

Altigo, technological feat
Altigo meets the requirements of cereal producers who are looking for a variety with very high yields and easy to grow.

Nectar melon from HM-Clause
Brazil exports 180,000 tons of melons to Europe every year. In 2008, HM-Clause launched the melon Nectar under the Clause brand name in Brazil.

biolice, finding new applications
biolice, the plastic material that is 100% biodegradable and 100% compostable is made from whole cereal grains.

Extension of the Use By date

Jacquet is proposing a new, patented process whereby it can extend the Use By date to 28 days

Clearfield sunflower
Whatever the plant, weed control is a vital element in crop success. For sunflower, by using Clearfield technology it is possible to make a variety naturally resistant to a weed-killer that controls most weeds affecting this species, but also its main parasite (broomrape) at its younger stages, in growing areas (Southern Europe) concerned by this problem.

The “Clean Label” improver range

Naturalness is a quality that is more and more sought after by consumers, and consequently, by food industrialists. LCI has developed a range of functional improvers, without additives, for baking.

Ginger bread tasting canapes and mini-blinis

For the end of the year, Jacquet is proposing a culinary blend that is well-known and in vogue with its ginger bread canapes to accompany goose or duck liver pate.