Kalettes Growers Tour Fields In The U.K.

Tozer Seeds hosted a weeklong grower tour in the U.K. to share knowledge on growing this new kale and brussels sprouts hybrid with U.S. growers. The tour was led by Tozer Seeds, the breeding company behind Kalettes, and culminated with a visit to Staples, one of the largest kale growers in the U.K. and also one of the first growers of Flower Sprouts, the U.K. name for Kalettes. The discussions included planting, growing and harvesting Kalettes. While at Staples, the cooperators also toured Staples’ Kalettes field and packing house. “The tour was a great success and allowed all of us to come together and share our knowledge of growing Kalettes,” says Kraig Kuykendall, sales manager of Tozer Seeds America. “Our goal is to ensure we’re all producing the best Kalettes for consumers.” Kalettes are the product of more than a decade of research by Tozer Seeds, the largest family-owned vegetable breeding company in England, company officials say. The kale and brussels sprouts hybrid offers a fresh fusion of sweet and nutty, combining the best traits of each of its parent vegetables, officials add, and Kalettes are not genetically modified--they were developed by cross-pollinating brussels sprouts with kale through traditional methods. Tozer Seeds has exclusive marketing agreements with select companies to grow and market Kalettes to create a consistent name and brand identity, which would allow consumers to easily recognize this new vegetable. The companies who have entered into the marketing agreement with Tozer for Kalettes are 4Earth Farms, Classic Salads, Mann Packing, Ocean Mist Farms, Southern Specialties and WP Rawl. As part of the agreement, Kalettes seeds will be sold by Johnny’s Selected Seeds to small farmers and home growers.