Kalettes to Sprout Up in the Produce Aisle this Fall

This fall will bring the arrival of produce's newest innovation: adorable and versatile Kalettes ­— the green and purple offspring of brussels sprout and kale. The flavor of Kalettes can be described as a fresh fusion of sweet and nutty, combining the distinct traits of each of its parent vegetables. Tozer Seeds — the family-owned vegetable breeding company in England — developed the kale-brussels sprout hybrid after more than a decade of research. Tozer’s product development staff worked with a variety of different colored sprouts and kale before finally finding the winning combination. Kalettes are not genetically modified and were developed by cross-pollinating brussels sprouts with kale through traditional methods. So far, the U.K. and the Netherlands have been introduced to the new food, with promising results, company officials say. Tozer is working with several cooperators to grow and market Kalettes. “We started selling seed in the U.S. in 2012 and quickly realized that this new vegetable was going to be a huge hit with consumers due to the popularity of both vegetables,” says Kraig Kuykendall, sales manager of Tozer Seeds, U.S. “The idea behind gathering cooperators to market under the Kalettes brand was to give consumers a consistent name and brand identity to look for in the produce department.” Plans for the U.S. launch include consumer media engagement and a strong presence on social media channels and. The website, www.kalettes.com, includes recipes and high quality photography, which will be expanded later this summer.