The growth of Harmoniz: a new era in seed development
Advancing global agriculture from the Greater Rotterdam-The Hague area
Harmoniz, a seed development company, is reshaping the future of horticulture with its state of the art research and development, focused primarily on tomato cultivation. Founded from the merger of TomaTech and Nirit Seeds in 2022, Harmoniz has rapidly emerged as a leader in the fresh vegetable seed industry.
A global footprint with local expertise
Harmoniz’s main office is located in Israel with R&D locations in Italy, Spain, Mexico, and now the Netherlands. General Manager of Harmoniz Netherlands, Paul van Dijck, describes their work as trying “to solve issues [that] consumers or retailers or growers deal with on a daily basis.” This is what has led to their large focus on R&D with centres in different regions to guarantee “the right product for the market surrounding it,” as Paul mentioned.
Harmoniz solves problems such as disease susceptible crops and tomatoes that are not to a consumer group’s tastes by developing and producing innovative seeds. The integration of traditional breeding methods with modern technologies underline Harmoniz’s commitment to advancing horticulture science.
Collaboration at the heart of success
The high-tech horticulture ecosystem in Zuid-Holland and the Netherlands is known for its competitive but collaborative environment. Harmoniz has made the most of this collaboration by jointly buying and converting a greenhouse into an R&D centre together with Horti-Tech and Metazet. The greenhouse that will officially open this year will allow for rapid, small scale testing that will accelerate innovation solutions. This is a major step forward as Harmoniz had been actively searching for an appropriate R&D location since 2021. Breeding and testing will take place on location, which will also allow Harmoniz and its partners to work together with local growers and other industry partners to further develop across multiple areas such as mechanisation.
Expanding within the region
As Harmoniz continues to grow, its Dutch operations are expected to expand from five employees to twelve by mid-summer 2024. Harmoniz will need skills including breeders, greenhouse works, and researchers in the laboratory running tests. These ambitions and expansion is a clear indication of the company’s ambitious plans and its commitment to innovation in the horticulture sector.
Paul emphasised the benefits of being in the Greater Rotterdam-The Hague area and specifically Westland, stating that it’s “a good place to be because there’s a lot of knowledge and people out there,” adding “it was not a very hard choice to come to [Zuid-Holland].”
With the acquisition of the Dutch company Plant Factory, Harmoniz has solidified its presence in the Netherlands, setting the stage for future breakthroughs in the field.
Harmoniz stands as a beacon of innovation, collaboration, and growth in the horticulture industry. Through its pioneering research and development efforts, consumer-centric approach, and commitment to sustainability, Harmoniz is not just growing seeds but cultivating a brighter future for our planet.
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