Yuval Carmel, of Carmel Crops, said that part of the motivation behind growing the Salanova variety was the receptive Israeli market.
"We're in a good place here," he said. "Before, the Israeli family bought very basic produce like tomatoes and cucumbers, and that was it. But it's not the same any more. Now, people here are always looking for new things."
Carmel gets his seeds from Rijk Zwaan, a vegetable breeding company that develops vegetable varieties for growers throughout the world, and he said that despite the receptive market and excellent product, there are still hurdles associated with bringing a new product to market.
"The price is higher than local varieties of lettuce," he said. "Also, the Israeli weather is very warm, and we have to deal with that." But despite these early obstacles, Carmel believes Salanova will do well in Israel.
"It's just the beginning, so people don't know about it – we have to teach them," he said. "But people look for new things in Israel. There is money, and all the programs on television and all the people like to talk about food and about the new things, and they tell their friends about new things. So I think they will appreciate the special things we grow."