Allergy-Friendly Apple Brand Wins Big at Germany’s Fruit Logistica

Fresh produce business leaders from across the globe braved Germany’s coldest winter in 15 years, Feb. 4-6, at Fruit Logistica. Despite freezing conditions that saw departing flights grounded, the show’s 90,000 participants still found their way home after three days of innovation, networking and learning.

“We were so impressed with the way our trade visitors and exhibitors rose to last week’s challenges, as fresh produce people so often do,” says David Ruetz, senior vice president of Messe Berlin. “This is a resilient industry, one that knows how to handle challenging conditions and logistical hurdles. So it was no surprise that, despite the snow, everyone on the show floor remained focused, energetic and productive.”

INNOVATION AWARDS

For two decades, the Fruit Logistica Innovation Award (FLIA) has been recognizing outstanding innovations across the entire fruit and vegetable supply chain — from production to the point-of-sale.

The FLIA award recognizes outstanding innovations in two categories, fresh produce and technology. This year’s winners include:

• Fresh produce winner: POMPUR — the world’s first ECARF-certified, allergy-friendly apple brand — from ZIN (Züchtungsinitiative Niederelbe GmbH & Co. KG) in Germany.
• Technology winner: The L50 DRONE — Europe’s first lidar-based agricultural spraying drone with a capacity of 50 liters — from ABZ Innovation Ltd. in Hungary.

ADDITIONAL FINALISTS

Finalists in the FLIA’s fresh produce category included:

BOOMBITES Red Berry Grapes, BLOOM FRESH, United Kingdom. BOOMBITES Red Berry Grapes combine the taste people love from table grapes with the properties that come with their unique red flesh inside. They are the result of over 10 years of natural breeding, crossing some of the world’s best table grapes with red-fleshed wine grapes. BOOMBITES launched internationally in 2025.

POPITS, Harmoniz LTD and Mastronardi Produce, Israel + Canada. POPITS is the one-bite cucumber redefining healthy snacking. Tiny, yet powerful, at 4-5 centimeters, it’s +1° Bx sweeter, extra crunchy, and perfectly uniform every time.

Sapori | Finest Selection, Wim Peters Kwekerijen, Netherlands. Sapori are a selection of premium mini cherry tomatoes. This 1.5-kilogram selection of mini cherry tomatoes in ivory, black and green is a culinary delight.

Tribelli Seedless, Enza Zaden Beheer B.V., Netherlands. Tribelli Seedless is a new generation of sweet mini conical peppers. No prep, no mess — ready to eat as a healthy snack. The peppers are available year-round.

Finalists in the FLIA’s technology category included:

AURA SC, Trapview Group, Slovenia. AURA SC is a next-generation, fully automated pest monitoring and forecasting solution. Using UV light attraction and an AI-triggered self-cleaning mechanism, it delivers continuous, real-time monitoring of multiple pest species. Integrated with the Trapview app, it transforms pest data into precise forecasts that reduce workload and labor costs, minimize insecticide use and enable smarter, more sustainable, high-yield food production.

Compack packaging, Compack, Belgium. Here, mushroom residues are transformed into circular cellulose packaging — made from material on which the mushrooms grew. They are plastic-free, PFAS-free, compostable, recyclable and PPWR-compatible. This solution replaces plastic and uses less paper than conventional fiber packaging.

High-Speed Grafter above the cotyledons, TTA-ISO, Netherlands. The High-Speed Grafter redefines what’s possible in automated grafting, delivering precise cuts above the cotyledons. Powered by advanced vision, AI, and a carousel system, it ensures perfect alignment of scion and rootstock every time. This breakthrough sets a new standard for efficiency, hygiene, and labor savings in modern plant propagation by transforming one of horticulture’s most delicate tasks into a seamless process.

The Solar Solution for Light Loving Crops, Voltiris, Switzerland. Voltiris, the Swiss greenhouse energy company, has developed solar-filtering modules that transmit full PAR light to support strong crop growth and high yields. Voltiris filters near-infrared (NIR) light and converts it into renewable electricity, delivering 435 kWp per hectare and generating up to 400 MWh per hectare per year. By removing excess heat, the solution keeps plants up to 5°C cooler in sunny periods. This reduces heat stress, improves fruit quality, and boosts overall greenhouse productivity.