It was already ten years ago that Erik de Jong of Jongfresh saw a striking speckled variety lying next to the container in the radish trials - for which it has made a couple of metres in the greenhouse available to breeding company Hazera for years. When he then asked the head breeder what that variety was, he replied: "Something goes wrong sometimes."
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Into the market before Easter
However, Erik saw potential in the discovered variety and asked the breeder how long it could take before this 'speckled radish' could be commercially marketed. "That could take up to ten years," was the reply. That was no lie. After years of continuous breeding, the graffiti radish has been further perfected. After a road of a long haul, the new variety is now ready for wider release. In January, the first commercial volumes of graffiti radish will be sown out to enter the market before Easter.
"This fulfils a long-awaited dream," says Erik, enthusiastically. "We also introduced purple radish a few years ago, but that was more of a further development of an existing variety. However, this is an innovation of a different order, as this variety is 
© Jongfreshdeveloped from entirely new genetics. This is really the biggest innovation in the radish market in years!"
Digital DNA profile
Erik describes the appearance of the graffiti radish as spotted and mottled. "With its stripes and spots, it looks a bit like a digital DNA profile. All in all, a very nice and fresh look. We have had samples available on a limited scale for a year or two now to show and taste this new radish variety and you can also see that it appeals to a whole new group of people, who are in for something new."
"And that's just what we need," continues the radish grower. "In overall radish consumption, we are seeing quite an ageing trend. We desperately need the young generation and with this product we can really bring radishes back to the attention of young people. The flavour of the graffiti radish is mild, but with a strong bite. This makes it suitable for a broad target group. Certainly young children drop out if the taste becomes too sharp."
"Furthermore, our shelf-life tests show that the graffiti radish is much longer presentable than the red radish. This radish really keeps its fresh, cheerful character and that is important in the snack vegetable business," Erik says. The first serious volumes will be available by Easter, after which the next seed productions will be ready in August/September.
Quick scale-up possible
"For next year, things are looking good. We have to test what flight the graffiti radish takes, but we can now scale up quickly," the grower continues. "We are now looking for the right marketing channels to serve the right supermarkets on a programme basis with the right exporters. This will suit some supermarkets better than others, it is not a product to throw over the fence at random, so we are not going to grow on the gamble."
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Meanwhile, the Christmas rush at Jongfresh is over again. "Always an exciting time because production never matches the upturn in demand that much. In summer, you get this straightened out in a couple of days, but in winter it's harder to plan," Erik says. Overall, he looks back on a good year. "We experienced a nice 10% growth in production, but what I am especially proud of is that we had a hell of a year in terms of quality. We were really able to make strides with an even more uniform and flavourful radish. On all surfaces, our radishes scored better in terms of quality, so that sets the bar nicely high for next year!"
For more information:
Erik de Jong
Jongfresh BV
Mob; +31 (0)6-5462 8544
[email protected]
www.jongfresh.nl
