From innovation to market: how partnerships are scaling Popits™
From launch to scale, Popits™ is growing across Europe. Key partnerships are at the core of that journey, helping turn innovation into a strong commercial program.
When Popits™ launched commercially nearly a year ago, it brought a new proposition to the fresh produce category: a 4–5 cm cucumber designed specifically for snacking, delivering superior taste and crunch- a commercial sweet spot for healthy snacking.
But creating an innovative product is only the beginning. Getting it to consumers in the right way, and realizing its full potential, requires an entire value chain to make it work.
“In fresh produce, having a great product is not enough,” says Ofer Ben-Zvi, CEO of Harmoniz. “For innovation to reach consumers the way it was intended, every part of the value chain has to work. That requires partners who are prepared to take a risk on something new, share what they learn, communicate openly and work together to get it right.”
That partnership approach has been central to Popits’ first year in the market.
Agrosol and Glinwell have played a key role in the Popits™ journey from the outset, working closely with Harmoniz to bring the product to UK consumers in October 2025. Since then, the three companies have built a long-term partnership around the product, combining growing expertise, market knowledge and commercial experience as Popits has moved from a new concept into an established commercial program.
“When you introduce something genuinely new, nobody has all the answers on day one,” says Ben-Zvi. “You build that knowledge together. That is why the quality of the partnerships around an innovation matters so much.”
It is precisely that knowledge that is now supporting the next phase of Popits’ development, as the product expands across European retail and Harmoniz welcomes their latest strategic partner Unica into the project.
The progress is already visible on shelves. Popits™ is now available at Tesco in the UK, Edeka in Germany, Grand Frais in France and Carrefour in Spain, with Pingo Doce in Portugal set to follow by the end of September.
For Ben-Zvi, the strength of that collaboration lies in keeping the entire value chain focused on the same starting point: the consumer.
“Start with the consumer. Always,” he says. “People are snacking more, but health alone is not enough. It has to taste good, feel rewarding and be effortless. Processed snacks have set the standard for convenience, and fresh produce has to respond. The better a product fits the way people actually eat, the greater its potential to scale.”
That path from consumer relevance to commercial scale continues this October at Fruit Attraction, where Popits™ will be presented at the Unica booth, with Unica the latest partner to join the project.
For Harmoniz, the progress since launch illustrates a broader lesson about bringing innovation into fresh produce.
“Popits represents exactly what we believe innovation should be about,” concludes Ben-Zvi. “A strong concept is only the starting point. It has to work for growers, create value for retailers and earn its place with consumers.”
“Innovation doesn’t scale because one company has a good idea. It scales when the right partners are willing to take a risk on that idea, bring their expertise, share what they learn and trust each other enough to keep improving it together.”
