The FRUIT LOGISTICA 2018 Innovation Award – Nominations
The candidates nominated for this year’s FRUIT LOGISTICA Innovation Award came up with smart solutions. The range of products included biological pest control for domestic use, packaging with a remarkable eco-balance and culinary delights from faraway Asia.
The dark brown Marmande tomato from Adora was nominated – a real treat. Since this tomato has an extremely robust skin, you can carry it in your pocket without hesitation – almost like an apple – without running the risk of breaking it. But not everybody liked this special feature, there were tasters who were just disturbed by the firm skin. The taste of this tomato captivates with its balance of acidity and sweetness which leaves enough space for a unique aroma. In addition, this tomato is a real eye-catcher and more than suitable for dishes such as a real Salade Niçoise.
Kellermeister Manns GmbH was also nominated with a technology that can directly brand suitable fruits such as apples. In the exhibition showcase, apples of different colours were turned into LOGO Fruit. Certainly an appealing advertising medium, even if non-standard organic varieties can be printed with natural colour prints in the future.
Another innovation – the Malver – comes from Italy. A machine that is able to pit and halve almost fifty mangos at the same time, whereby soft fruits can also be processed without damage. Surely a sensible investment if you want a few more fruits, for e.g. for medium-sized manufacturers of mango sorbet.
The Dutch company East4Fresh showed an innovative variant of wasabi preparation for domestic use. It was a Wasabi box, a small wooden container containing a stainless steel grater and a fresh Wasabi “tuber”. This nice gift idea is probably already available in stores. But the homemade Wasabi did not convince us.
The Belgian company Greenyard showed their “The Alberts Smoothie Station”. The machine presented was able to prepare natural smoothies based on frozen fruits and vegetables. Especially in times when the proportion of health-conscious employees in many companies is “exploding”, this is certainly a fine thing for in-house canteens. Here it is possible to mix the various “loads” at will – which is probably also possible with the support of an app.
The company H2Hybrid was also nominated. H2Hybrid presented its modular irrigation system based on oxygen-enriched water – which should make it possible to reduce the water requirement for plant growth by up to 80%. Certainly a worthwhile approach, considering how water-intensive the cultivation of many plants – for example in the case of salads – in nowadays.
Koppert presented a revised approach to biological pest control. Koppert Biological Systems provides different beneficial organisms for this purpose. From parasites such as ichneumon flies & wasps, fungi & bacteria to predatory mites, predatory bugs, predatory beetles and many more. These efficient biological helpers are used for almost every application, from domestic gardens to large-scale cultivation.
Croptimal presented its new mobile analysis system as part of its nomination for the Innovation Award. With these laboratory units, soil, water and plant tissue can be examined directly in the field – what used to take up to a week can now be done directly on site in just a few minutes. The devices should be easy to use and access data via the cloud to help evaluate the results of the on-site tests.
The Scheufelen paper mill was also nominated with its grass paper and, in our opinion, has landed a big hit. This technology is a brilliant achievement, and not only because of the outstanding properties of the product itself.
No chemicals are used in the production of this type of paper because it is all a mechanical production process.
Unlike trees, the basic material only needs months to grow and is organic and therefore more than suitable for food packaging. The production consumes significantly less electricity than any other paper production and, last but not least, the criterion we consider unbeatable in this industry – in production grass paper requires only one litre of water per tonne of paper – with the conventional wood-based production process it is up to 6000 litres per tonne … what a quantum leap, respect!
But last but not least…and the winner is” POOK Coconut Chips!
When a company is putting its hearts into It”, you notice this in its products – with POOKS Toasted Coconut Chips it is exactly the same. A whole family is working on a healthy innovation for all chip lovers and couch potatoes for a long time now, across generations and full of enthusiasm.
It’s nice to see that this year’s Innovation Award directly honours the people who have given everything to develop a product and get it “on to the road”. No abstract corporation, no design labs, very clear structures and a transparent product behind and for which very likeable people stand. This German / Thai project has convinced everyone and soon deserves to be on every Chips shelf.
Our congratulations and recommendation for POOKS Toasted Coconut Chips -TASTE IT!
Update [2020.01.20]
The actual very successful German/Thai company PookSpaFoods presented its Sticky Rice Chips at the International Green Week 2020. For everyone who has already come to love the award-winning chips of this young start-up, PookSpaFoods has a new product with an “addictive factor”.
As with so many things, the innovative chips from PookSpaFoods have of course been copied by some “competitors” in a very short time – so it’s great to see a product coming onto the market that has never been seen before.
The Sticky Rice Chips are currently available in three flavours:
- Sriracha, for all who love it a little hotter…seasoned with the famous Sriracha Chilli Sauce
- Mango, for all who love it fruity
- Nature
All varieties are produced without preservatives, are lactose and gluten free and are also vegan. The new chips are crispy and something completely different – have fun trying them.
