Fresh Valley: "Popits is not a cucumber innovation. It is a snacking innovation."

First Dutch-grown bite-sized cucumbers set out to redefine fresh produce's role in the snacking category

As fresh produce claims a growing share of the snack occasion, Dutch consumers are embracing snack vegetables in record numbers. In 2024, supermarket sales of snack vegetables, including snack tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers, increased by 16%, with snack cucumber sales alone rising by more than 25%.  Households with children accounted for more than half of all category purchases.

Against this backdrop, Fresh Valley, one of the Netherlands' leading specialists in mini and snack cucumbers, has completed the first Dutch harvest of Popits, bringing one of the fresh produce industry's most talked-about innovations into local production.

Developed by Harmoniz and Mastronardi Produce, Popits first entered the US market in October 2025 before making its European debut at Fruit Logistica 2026. Its proposition was simple yet ambitious: delivering the smallest, sweetest and crunchiest one-bite cucumber on the market, purpose-built for modern eating occasions.

"We were watching closely as Popits made its debut in Berlin last February," says Sam van Duifhuizen, director and crop manager at Fresh Valley ."What immediately struck us was that it wasn't trying to improve the snack cucumber category. It was trying to redefine what fresh snacking could be. We quickly understood that Popits was not a cucumber innovation. It was a snacking innovation."

For Sam, that distinction was critical. Popits was conceived around the way people eat today rather than the conventions of the cucumber category. The one-bite format, sweetness, crunch and ready-to-eat convenience are all deliberate expressions of that philosophy.

"That's what gives it the potential to compete far beyond the vegetable category," adds Sam. "It delivers the convenience and sensory satisfaction consumers look for in traditional snacks, but in a format that remains fresh and natural."

Yet for Fresh Valley, consumer enthusiasm was only half of the story. The real test would come to the greenhouse.

"We were genuinely excited by the consumer proposition of Popits," says Sam. "But as growers, the first thing we ask is whether a variety can perform in the greenhouse. With Popits, we saw very quickly that it was a well-balanced crop. The plants are resilient, fruit development is very uniform, there are fewer rejects, and everything we've seen so far suggests a more flexible harvest than we're used to in this category."

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"Of course, every variety has its own requirements. With Popits, harvest size and post-harvest handling need to be carefully managed to maintain the quality consumers expect. But that's part of the job. The benefits far outweigh those challenges. Lower waste, greater harvesting flexibility, and strong consumer demand are a powerful combination. It's not often that a product is as compelling in the greenhouse as it is on the shelf."

The first harvest now marks the beginning of that next phase.

Fresh Valley has now completed its first harvest, becoming the first grower in the Netherlands to bring locally grown Popits to market. The first volumes will initially be supplied through selected commercial partners as the variety begins its Dutch market rollout.

"The first harvest is an exciting milestone, but it's really just the beginning," says Sam. "We're looking forward to introducing Dutch-grown Popits to more customers, gathering feedback from the market and continuing to build on the strong interest we're already seeing around the product."

This harvest marks the start of a broader commercialisation programme. As Fresh Valley continues production and customer evaluations, discussions are already underway with major European retailers, bringing consumers one step closer to a fresh produce proposition designed to compete where traditional snacks have long dominated.

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