Onix Orange, Croptimus Win at Fruit Logistica

The Fruit Logistica Innovation Awards (FLIA) were presented Feb. 7 at Fruit Logistica 2025, held in Berlin, Germany. This year, the FLIA went to Amfresh’s Onix orange. The orange impressed visitors with its beauty, versatility and resilience. The FLIA Technology went to Fermata for Croptimus, an image analysis technology for the early detection of diseases and pests in greenhouses.

Visitors to the trade fair for the global fruit industry chose the most innovative product. Five nominated companies each presented their developments, which were then evaluated in a public vote.

The Innovation Award went to Amfresh’s Onix orange. The fruit impresses with its coloring — from bright flame orange to deep burgundy red. It also impresses with its seedless, velvety flesh that is rich in antioxidants and vitamins. Grown in Spain, the Onix orange offers a long shelf life. The innovation comes from Germany, while Amfresh Spain Citrus markets the fruit as a “sustainable citrus wonder.”

More than half of the votes cast for the FLIA Technology, now in its second year, went to Croptimus from Fermata Technology. This image analysis technology enables farmers to detect diseases or pest infestations on vegetables in the greenhouse at an early stage. As a software as a service (SaaS), Croptimus requires no additional hardware and can work with both installed cameras and smartphone images.

According to the manufacturer, the innovation from Israel promises up to 50% less scouting effort, 30% less crop losses and 25% less input consumption.

ADDITIONAL FINALISTS

This year, around 70 innovations were submitted, from which a jury of experts selected the five finalists in each category. In addition to the Onix orange and Croptimus, finalists for the FLIA and FLIA Technology awards included:

The Organic Raingrown Avocado. The Organic Raingrown Avocado comes from the rainforest of Eosta/Nature & More, a company from the Netherlands. It is the first organic avocado that is available year-round — and the first to be grown without artificial irrigation, using only rainwater.

Aldina Strawberries. Under the brand name ALDINA, the discount supermarket chain ALDI SÜD is marketing a single strawberry variety in Germany — and guaranteeing producers purchases throughout the entire season. The concept’s aim is to boost strawberry production in Germany.

A mandarin for Halloween. Halloweena is a new mandarin variety in the shape of a pumpkin. It is easy to peel, practically seedless, and sweet in flavor. It is an ideal Halloween snack due to its shape and shiny skin, and represents a healthy alternative to the usual treats. The fruit is cultivated sustainably to strict standards in Spain and ripens just before Halloween.

Samantha savoy cabbage. Samantha is the world’s first savoy cabbage with a pointed head (an innovation from Denmark). It weighs less than 500 grams (17.5 ounces) per cabbage, and has a compact shape, firm leaf structure and distinct color.

The finalists for the Fruit Logistica Innovation Award Technology 2025:

LiDAR-based drones. The Hungarian manufacturer ABZ Innovation equips drones for use in orchards and vineyards with a LiDAR-based situational awareness system. With the help of real-time 3D mapping, the drones recognize even minor obstacles, such as thin wires or hazards, and maintain dynamic height control. The GPS-free system maintains its distance to uneven tree canopies and optimizes the crop-spraying height. This results in less use of chemicals, which benefits farmers and the environment alike.

AI-based drip and runoff monitoring. The FarmRoad Irrigation Module from New Zealand helps farmers to optimize their water consumption. The dashboards are AI-driven and combine local climate data with sophisticated water demand models. Using automated drip and runoff calculations, farmers can adapt their irrigation planning to crop needs and local conditions on a daily basis. This innovation comes from Morocco.

RYPEN Case Liner. The RYPEN Case Liner keeps fruit in transport crates fresh and crisp for longer. RYPEN technology captures excess ethylene molecules inside the crates and binds their structure. It produces no chemical oxidation, emits no substances and does not affect the fruit.

Analyzing and adjusting fungicide content. The CATsystem from the Spanish manufacturer Citrosol is an intelligent consumption system for use in the post-harvest sector. The evaluation system measures concentrations of fungicides and other solution components in production facilities online and in real time and adjusts them immediately.

More than 2,600 exhibitors from 90 countries participated in the annual trade show, Feb. 5-7, in Berlin. Next year’s event will be held Feb. 4-6, 2026.