Snack pepper Tatayoyo nominated for the Fruit Logistica Award 2023

Fruity, tropical and sweet

Bianca van Haperen, Pepper Breeder at Rijk Zwaan, explains that it all started ten years ago. “We discovered this flavour in a wild pepper species. As a breeding team, we had to cross this new trait into pepper parent lines and then select the varieties that also performed well on agronomical traits such as yield and fruit quality. It took years of testing to make sure the variety adds value for growers, retailers and consumers. But eventually we developed a commercial variety and introduced it under the product brand Tatayoyo. The flavour is fruity, tropical and sweet; that makes Tatayoyo so unique. The Fruit Logistica nomination is great recognition of our teamwork, and we are excited to bring this innovation to the market.”

19 volatiles are different

In order to get a better insight into why the taste of a Tatayoyo pepper is so distinctive from a normal snack pepper, extensive biochemical research was done. Van Rijn- Wassenaar: “It shows that a Tatayoyo pepper has 19 volatiles that are different compared to other peppers. This results in its very aromatic, sweet and intensive taste. Only nine volatiles are different in the existing snack peppers.”

ITQI awarded 3 stars

Consumer research confirmed Tatayoyo’s uniqueness, with 88% of the consumers liking the overall taste of the raw product, Van Rijn-Wassenaar explains. “As the almost-seedless Tatayoyo peppers are a bit bigger than a normal snack pepper, you can also bake them. In this case, 89% of consumers like its taste, compared to just 50% who like the taste of baked blocky peppers. This is further underlined by the rating from the International Taste Quality Institute (ITQI). The chefs on this panel – many of whom are Michelin chefs – awarded Tatayoyo three stars and a score of 95.3%.”

The premium snack pepper retailers are asking for

The unique taste makes Tatayoyo the premium snack pepper that retailers are asking for, says Van Rijn-Wassenaar: “Tatayoyo works in both high-tech and mid-tech crop systems and can therefore be on shelves all year round. Growers and retailers in North America have already started introducing Tatayoyo.”

Explore Tatayoyo and get convinced

The Marketing Specialist invites all Fruit Logistica visitors to come and explore Tatayoyo. “Tatayoyo is available at our stand in Hall 1.2, D-13, and can also be seen as part of the display of all ten nominations in the Innovation passage between Halls 20 and 21. That is also where visitors can vote for their favourite innovation with a form. Voting forms are available in the special FLIA exhibition areas. They are also included in the official Fruit Logistica Exhibition Guide which is distributed to visitors at the exhibition. We hope visitors will move ‘freshly forward’ with us!”

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