When the organic produce industry gathers in Monterey, Calif., for the annual Organic Produce Summit this week, Vegetables by Bayer plans to let flavor do the talking when it comes to seed breeding innovation — specifically through the universally understood language of a classic BLT.
On Thursday, July 16, from 1-2 p.m., attendees will be treated to a special live chef demonstration titled, “Discover the Flavor of Innovation.” Rather than just talking about breeding breakthroughs, the Bayer team plans to serve up an elevated, open-face BLT featuring toasted artisan bread, thick-cut bacon, a light herb aioli, and the stars of the culinary creation: two vegetable innovations from their Seminis and De Ruiter divisions making their U.S. debut.
The demo aims to spotlight the new Luminity tomato from De Ruiter alongside Seminis’ Frescada lettuce — a novel hybrid that combines the dense, refreshing crunch of traditional iceberg with the flavor-forward, nutrient-vibrant profile of romaine. Together, the duo represents what Bayer sees as a major step forward in meeting retail and foodservice needs as well as consumer expectations for innovation, texture, quality and taste.
But behind the crisp lettuce and crimson red tomato slice lies years of rigorous breeding and market research.
To understand how these two varieties moved from development to the chef’s table, The Packer sat down with members of the Vegetables by Bayer team, who revealed how these latest innovations align with shifting fresh produce trends, what it takes to breed resilience against devastating industry threats like the tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) and why the future of fresh produce is all about the eating experience.
Balancing Virus Resistance With Consumer Demand
When asked what’s driving innovation at Vegetables by Bayer and how it ties into modern produce trends, Stephanie Poletti, portfolio activation and marketing manager, says a major catalyst on the tomato front came from an agricultural crisis nearly a decade ago.
“About eight or nine years ago, tomato brown rugose [fruit] virus sadly entered the tomato market and really devastated a lot of the controlled environment or protected customers,” she says.
The financial fallout for growers hit by the virus was significant, making disease resistance Bayer’s top priority, Poletti says. Its first product to answer the call was an early-fruiting beefsteak tomato hybrid.
“The first product that we entered into the market was Ferreira, which was a great first step to resistance,” she says. “But what it did lack was that fruit quality that consumers are really used to having and are familiar with.”
Over the past year, Bayer’s R&D teams set out to bridge that gap — marrying crop protection with premium taste and texture.
The result was the launch of five tomato varieties last year, including Riboski and DRTH5075 beefsteaks, alongside three tomatoes-on-the-vine that included Serenity, Luminity and Grandice RES.
Bayer is placing a special spotlight on Luminity, the visual appeal of which is nothing short of striking, says Poletti.
“Luminity is really known for a superior shine. I mean, when you look at it, you almost need sunglasses because it’s so shiny. It’s so bright,” she says.
Beyond its exterior sheen, the variety boasts an internal breakthrough on vibrant color.
“The internal fruit quality is crimson red,” Poletti says. “One of the things that our breeders are focused on when it comes to breeding is to ensure that we have that crimson red gene, so when a consumer cuts open that tomato, they see this beautiful red flesh on top of the red tomato on the outside.”
Shaking Up the Wet Wall With Frescada Lettuce
While categories like grapes, berries and tomatoes frequently see a steady stream of new, exciting varieties, the leafy greens section can sometimes feel static, making retailers, foodservice operators and consumers hungry for a change, says Jenny Maloney, Bayer’s global Americas strategic account manager.
“We hear a lot from retail and sometimes foodservice too about wanting innovation in the vegetable space,” Maloney says. “When we get to the wet wall, we hear a lot of questions about what is new, what’s different. Consumers are wanting things beyond what currently exists.”
To answer that demand, Bayer has launched Frescada lettuce. Though it has already found success in commercial launches internationally, unveiling it to the U.S. requires a bit of an introduction, says Maloney.
“It’s something that’s different to the consumer, and so it takes some consumer education to get them to really understand what the product does and why it’s different,” she says. “It’s like a romaine and an iceberg came together and created Frescada.”
Built for Culinary Versatility and Shelf Life
This premium hybrid aims to deliver the best of both worlds: the dense, refreshing crunch of iceberg paired with the rich, forward flavor and beautiful green color of romaine, says Maloney.
Bayer has developed two varieties under the Frescada family, including one with a unique, slightly smaller shape.
“One is a little bit smaller shape, like a football, and those have really great opportunity to be carriers for foods,” Maloney notes. “It can serve as a kind of a boat for things. It carries heat really well, which is different than maybe some traditional romaine, and it’s still got that great flavor.”
That durability under heat, combined with a robust crunch and balanced flavor profile, makes it highly versatile for both home cooks making salads or wraps and professional chefs looking for reliable performance. It also addresses a major pain point across the supply chain: longevity.
“The shelf life is really great too, which foodservice cares about, and actually consumers do as well,“ Maloney says. “It lasts really well in the refrigerator, and it’s got multiple options [for usage].”
The company also offers a larger or “maxi size” Frescada.
“We’ve had chefs say they have almost 100% yield, 100% usable yield from the head, which they love because there’s less waste, less outer leaves that they have to take off, and then still having that nice, robust color where you do have some of the white in the middle, but not too much,” says Maloney.
To prove out its culinary chops, Bayer put the greens through its paces with a panel of culinary experts.
“We have a culinary council of 12 chefs that really play with our product and taste it and give us feedback,” Maloney says. “Some of them have even stewed it with bacon, and so [Frescada] is something different and unique.”
The chef’s demo at OPS will be an opportunity to show off the versatility and durability of Frescada.
“It’s a new product, so there’s some consumer education that goes along with it because it will look different in the supermarket shelves than your romaine or your iceberg,” says Maloney. “So, this is our opportunity to get it in front of some retail buyers’ eyes to see what it can do and how versatile it is. We have some products that really are a better fit for grocery retail versus foodservice, and this is one that can work really well in both.”
Meeting Customer and Consumer Expectations
Maloney emphasizes the importance of developing varieties that balance grower resilience and market consistency.
“We’re excited about the disease resistance combined with the quality,” says Maloney of the Luminity tomato, noting that retailers and consumers demand a uniform, year-round supply that is typically “nearly impossible to do.” By innovating on-farm traits alongside premium quality, Maloney thinks Bayer is now “in a place where there’s benefit for every stage of the food chain.”
Connecting these innovations to a broader purpose, Emily Standley, digital marketing and communications manager, highlights Bayer’s mission: “health for all, hunger for none.”
Growing nutritious food isn’t enough, says Standley, who shares a favorite dietitian’s philosophy that “nutrition isn’t nutrition until it’s eaten.”
To ensure vegetables are actually consumed, Bayer focuses on enhancing access and appeal — making sure crops can thrive in difficult growing environments while maintaining attractive qualities, “like the full red interior on the tomatoes or that shine,” so that someone ultimately “picks it up and wants to use it,” she says.
