New ribbed tomato variety Otello welcomed with enthusiasm

The European market recently welcomed Otello, anew hybrid tomato variety developed by the seed house Eugene Seed, which bringstogether the best qualities of both Raf and Choc tomatoes. The companies thathave marketed it, such as the Spanish firm Hispalco, assure that "it is asuccess and will continue to see an increase in demand as production volumesgrow."

"It is a ribbed Black Marmande tomatothat withstands cold conditions," explains one of Hispalco's Otelloproducers in Spain. "It has an approximate production of 4 kilos per plantand very uniform calibres without cracking." 

Its main characteristic, however, isits "sweet flavour, with an average of 7-8 degrees Brix, and an idealpost-harvest that makes it possible to reach the main European markets,"continues the producer. "The fruit retains its dark colour throughout thematuration stage and does not become wrinkled." 

Raf tomatoes have become the premium variety inthe Spanish market and one of the most expensive because of its amazing tasteand how difficult it is to produce. However, being a green tomato entailsdifficulties for its acceptance in European markets like Great Britain andGermany, where appearance is very relevant to consumers and green is associatedwith lack of ripeness.

Otello follows the steps of varietiessuch as the Raf, whose taste is gaining popularity in part due to goodpromotional campaigns. "We can say that with this variety, we have beenable to obtain what tomato consumers have been seeking for so long: sweetnessand an intense flavour."