The breeders of Bejo are breeding varieties for the future. Breeding robust varieties with disease resistance is high on the list of priorities. This season we are highlighting a new variety, that can easily be called a powerhouse: Cumbia. With its good foliage health, this blanched celery is extremely suitable for autumn cultivation (both conventional and organic).

Cumbia is very strong against Septoria, which gives a huge advantage on the field. Cumbia is a long type with small cutting surface and narrow bottom. The variety is very suitable for flowpack, processing and sticks.

Emmelie van de Velde, sales representative Mid-South Netherlands, indicates that Cumbia can be planted from 1st May to mid-July. Harvesting can take place from July 25th to November 10th. Cumbia has 90 growing days after planting. ‘It is ideal to plant Cumbia on beds of 1.80 meters, with 3 rows per bed’, adds Emmelie. 

The very long, dark green petioles can be excellently packaged in a flowpack for the fresh market. But the processing companies can also easily process these long petioles, including sticks.

Bejo’s celery varieties are widely used in practice by cultivation specialists. A team of breeders is working hard on even healthier varieties. Much attention is paid to smooth and upright growing varieties, in which colour, length of the petioles, bolting tolerance and uniformity are important assessment criteria. Celery is a popular vegetable, which is often used in soups and salads, because of its strong taste, but is also eaten as a raw fresh product.