Enza Zaden's pumpkin Kaori Kuri wins the ‘Silver Medal’ award at the French SIVAL Competition

Our new pumpkin variety Kaori Kuri has won the ‘Silver Medal’ award at the French SIVAL Competition in the category Varietal Innovation.

“I am happy to receive the SIVAL Silver Award for our red pumpkin Kaori Kuri,” says Herve de Saint Pierre, General Manager of our French commercial subsidiary. “Our vision for pumpkin is to help to double the consumption in the next five years. Kaori Kuri extends the consumption period until the end of January and even longer. It is a great achievement. Congratulations to all our Vitalis colleagues who work on this pumpkin project and who bred this variety. It is great recognition for all the work done at Vitalis.”

Kaori Kuri

Kaori Kuri is the new red pumpkin hybrid created by Vitalis. Vitalis is already a market leader in red pumpkin in France with the variety Orange Summer. “The consumption of pumpkins and squashes is increasing in Europe. Especially in France and in Germany,” says Sales Representative Simon Gilles. Red pumpkin, in particular, is now a popular product. Consumers appreciate its taste and the fact that it is easy to cook.

Kaori Kuri excels in three characteristics:

1. Storage

The demand for red pumpkin is high between February and March. But the pumpkins are harvested in the early autumn. Harvest time and storage conditions must be optimal. The shelf life of Kaori Kuri is at least three more weeks than market standards (such as Uchiki Kuri). So, red pumpkin Kaori Kuri will be available longer in the stores. And this without being dependent on import to satisfy the winter demand of the consumers.

2. Good behavior with virus

For several years, the virus pressure in the fields was high in several European regions. Thanks to its intermediate resistance, Kaori Kuri is less susceptible to diseases than the market standards in medium virus pressure conditions.

3. Good taste and a pleasant appearance

The Vitalis’ breeding team mainly focuses on tasty varieties with high sugar content. After all, our variety Orange Summer has been such a hit because of its taste. Also, it is the case with Kaori Kuri as well. Even the name refers to taste. Kaori is Japanese for ‘Pleasant taste’ and Kuri for ‘of chestnut’. This great taste, combined with the shiny red coloured fruits of about 1,2 kg its traditional shape, will satisfy the buyers who are looking for quality products.