From field to plate. The Ametller Origen group advances in its verticalization process and enters the seed business for the first time, with the challenge of being able to develop new varieties of tomatoes. This is a critical product in any establishment specializing in the sale of fruits and vegetables, as it is often difficult to find tomatoes that, in addition to being attractive, taste good. The idea that "tomatoes are no longer like they used to be" has also become widespread, and the first thing any citizen does when they have a garden is to plant them to try to ensure a quality self-production.
With the idea of being able to market tomatoes "with more flavor and nutrients," Ametller Origen has invested in Tip Top Tomatoes, a newly created company where it will control 75% of the capital. The other 25% is in the hands of Let It Out Food Creativity, a consultancy specializing in biotechnology and seeds led by Jordi Ballester, a doctor in plant genetics and one of the sector's leading experts in Catalonia.
Ballester, who will be the technological and development partner of Tip Top Tomatoes, is a former executive of the Catalan company Semillas Fitò, one of the benchmarks in the seed market, where he was the creator of the Monterosa and Nippo tomato varieties. Now, through this new startup with Ametller Origen, he will introduce a new bicolor tomato variety to the market, both in its skin and pulp, called Arlequín.
This product will be grown in Vícar, in the province of Almería, and is expected to arrive exclusively at Ametller Origen's store network starting in October. "This agreement is another step in our strategy to offer consumers quality food, with maximum flavor and nutrients. We want to continue innovating and evolving the concept of fresh vegetables that can be obtained in a more sustainable and efficient way," says the CEO and co-founder of Ametller Origen, Josep Ametller.
In parallel to the commercial development of Arlequín, Tip Top Tomatoes has already signed two varietal research contracts with two Israeli companies with the aim of being able to grow new types of more sustainable tomatoes that are also nutritionally richer and tastier.
Aware of the importance of being able to offer customers good tomatoes, Ametller Origen has also announced the creation of a research center specialized in this field: the Tomato Creativity Center, which will be located in the future Agroparc Penedès that the company is promoting in the municipality of Gelida (Barcelona). In these facilities, Tip Top Tomatoes will carry out pilot tests and trials, taking advantage of the technified greenhouses that this production complex will have, budgeted at 180 million euros and based on the principles of the circular economy and the minimization of environmental impact.
According to Ametller Origen, universities and other research centers will collaborate with the Tomato Creativity Center, which will have the vocation "to be a meeting point for R&D&i&c of tomatoes in the country and to become a benchmark in Southern Europe." The creation of new companies in the Foodtech and Agritech fields is one of the objectives pursued by Agroparc, and the establishment of Tip Top Tomatoes represents a first step in this direction.
Ametller Origen has a network of more than 120 stores in Catalonia and expects to invoice 450 million euros this year, 16% more than the 387 million euros earned in 2021.